What Remains of Ylisse
by Robdelia
Summary: Devastated after the loss of her squad, Cordelia takes solace working with the Shepherds to get Chrom's attention with the help of his tactician, who seems more interested in her than the chores they do. What is he planning to do? Years later, a teenager by the name of Severa is thrust into a struggling world and hunted by a draconic god. What does this crazed deity want from her?
1. C Act I: Child of Chaos Part I

What Remains of Ylisse

Cordelia's Tale: Act I

Child of Chaos

Part I

* * *

Smoke filled her lungs as she scrambled through the burning halls of the outpost. Bright flames flickered and danced before her eyes, eating away at the walls and floors. She covered her eyes with her arms as she coughed.

Mere moments ago she had been tending to her pegasus, and the next her nose was filled with the smell of smoldering flesh. The screams of her comrades pounded at her ears and made her heartbeat climb.

Her foot slipped on a pile of ash, sending her tumbling to the hot floor. She hurriedly sat upright and tried to get to her feet, but a rough hand shoved her back to the ground.

She looked up from the burning floor to see a man with a steel covering over his jaw. He was one of the ones who started the fire; she was sure of it. He pushed her down with his free hand and raised an axe with his over. She shut her eyes in terror as the steel weapon began to swing down towards her.

A clang of steel forced her terrified eyes open to reveal a woman holding the man's axe at bay with her blade.

"Cordelia! Get up!" She yelled as she used all her strength to shift the axe away. "You have to get out!"

"Deaca!" Cordelia yelled back as she got to her feet. "I'm not leaving you!"

"Yes you are, gods-dammit!" Deaca shifted her feet and continued to block the axe. The man was bearing over her with a demented grin. This was the same girl who had started the trend of calling Cordelia 'Little Lady Genius.' Why was she saving her life?

"B-but…" There had to be a way for Cordelia to save her. "I can help you! We can take down these-"

"You can help me by staying alive and getting the hell out of here!" Deaca growled back as the axe slid down the blade of her sword. She knew her time was running out. "That's an order, cadet! Now move!"

Regretfully, Cordelia took a few steps back and broke into a sprint in the opposite direction. She resumed her escape as Deaca's screaming was added to the chorus of flame and wailing.

An open doorway shone at the end of the hallway; safe haven from the flames of war. Cordelia ducked her head underneath the crumbling support pillars for the roof and emerged into the sunny outside. She panted for breath and turned around.

Amidst the snowy mountains near Regna Ferox, the outpost of the Ylissean Pegasus Knights burned with an intense flame. A circle of wyvern knights flew above as though they were vultures.

She had to force her eyes away from the bright flame as she ran towards the stables. Inside, the frenzied neighs of the pegasi made Cordelia cover her ears as she opened the gates that kept them inside.

One by one, the pegasi fled the stables and flew away in various direction. One remained in the stables; a mare by the name of Aurora that Cordelia treasured from the first day she joined.

Cordelia mounted the steed and flew off. Her grip tightened on the reigns as she remembered what Phila had told her earlier today. Chrom and the Shepherds were going to march through Breakneck Pass. If she could intercept them to join their ranks, she could inform them of what had occured.

Her thoughts drifted back to her comrades. Why had they saved her?

* * *

"Sir, please! You have to listen to me!" An old man wearing a green hat fell to his knees before another man clad in red armor riding a wyvern. "Gangrel promised me amnesty!"

Vasto turned his attention from the groveling Hierarch to a group of Ylisseans that were fast approaching, led by a man dressed in white with blue hair. His wyvern gazed around at the mountain ridge to the right before growling at the old man.

"Tell me why you did it." Vasto sneered. "More specifically, turn around and tell that Chrom fellow why you ratted his sister out and caused her death." He would greatly enjoy watching the newly-crowned exalt slice this old codger into ribbons with that fancy sword of his.

"Al-alright…" The Hierarch coughed, got to his feet, then turned to face Chrom.

"Why? Why did you murder Emmeryn?" Chrom scowled as he struggled to remain upright; Robin supported Chrom with his shoulder. After his injuries he had taken in the ambush on the castle last week, Chrom knew it would take some time for his knee to heal. "You taught her everything she knew, and you slaughtered her!"

"It was all about…" The Hierarch struggled to breathe. He felt sick to his stomach as the stares from the Shepherds tore through him like knives through a sheet of paper. "Gangrel offered me gold and safe haven in exchange for information. I simply had to-"

Robin watched in shocked horror as Vasto's wyvern reared up behind the Hierarch and angled its head sideways. The wyvern chomped into the man's sides, who shrieked in horror as he was lifted into the air and shaken around like a chew toy for a dog.

"Rats like you deserve a dishonorable death…" Vasto laughed maniacally while his wyvern continued to shake the old man in its jaws. "Before they are thrown off the ship!" Using his reins to direct his mount, Vasto grinned from ear to ear as his wyvern tossed the lying rat of a man through the air.

"Gods!" Sumia, Lissa and various other Shepherds let out a cry of disgust as the Hierarch's lifeless body sailed through the air as though it were nothing more than a sack of vegetables, then tumbled down the side of the cliff face.

"Alright men!" Vasto raised his axe towards the blue skies with a cheer. "Overrun them! Then, we'll move onto the capital, and pillage all we can!"

The hoard of armed soldiers behind Vasto roared as they charged into battle behind their commander with demented grins on their faces.

"Alright everyone, battle formations!" Robin stepped out in front of the Shepherds and began waving his hands as though he were conducting an orchestra. "Chrom, you're riding with Sully today. Stahl and Vaike, follow Sully and Chrom in case any lancers give them trouble."

Robin watched as Vaike clambered upon the back of Stahl's horse, who rode by the side of Sully's horse towards the enemies. "Kellam, go protect Miriel. Lon'qu, bring up the frontlines with Lissa." Robin's focus shifted to see Gaius whistling to himself while kicking a pebble, and Sumia clasping her hands to her face in horror at the death of the Hierarch.

"How could that man just… Gods, is mercy even taught in Plegian schools?" Sumia muttered to herself as she turned to face Robin.

"Gaius, go calm Sumia down and protect her from archers." Robin noticed the immediate look of annoyance from Gaius.

"Buddy, if you think my scrawny body is gonna protect her from some pointy arrows, then you are the worst tactician this side of Ylisstol." Gaius laughed to himself before he noticed that Robin wasn't laughing with him. "Oh, wait. You're serious. Let me laugh even harder then."

Gaius' chuckling was cut short when he felt a rush of air tickle his back, then felt a pair of hands grab him by the waist and lift him up. "What the hell!" Gaius frantically waved his arms and looked behind to see that it was Sumia who lifted him up.

"Hey, you said you have a scrawny body, so don't blame me for taking advantage of it." Sumia sighed as she placed Gaius in the back seat of her pegasus, clambered aboard, then began to fly off. "Wait, Robin! Could you please go check the gorge to see if the Hierarch's still alive?"

"A fall that high surely must have killed him," Robin answered back.

"I know, but there's always a chance. Plus, if he somehow survived, I doubt we'd want him revealing all our sensitive information." Sumia shrugged her shoulders then flew off while Gaius glared at Robin from the second spot on her saddle.

" _She makes a good point…_ " Robin decided there was no harm in checking the cliff as he began walking towards it.

What Robin didn't understand was why Gaius was so resentful at the idea of working with Sumia, considering Robin would often catch him sneaking glances at her while she wasn't looking, and waiting outside her tent until she woke up so they could go candy shopping. " Denial is the first part of acceptance, I guess …"

Now that Robin could get a view of the canyon floor, he discovered why exactly it was called Breakneck Pass; a fall from the pass to the canyon floor would quite literally break one's neck without a shadow of a doubt.

At the very bottom of the gorge, he could see the faint outline of the Hierarch's body being swept downstream in crimson water. One less informant for Plegia taken care of, but it was too late to undo the damage he had done.

Like a lost child returning to their mother, his thoughts drifted to that night last week, the night Emmeryn had been slain. Robin had followed Chrom while he tore through waves of Plegian assassins, even with his bleeding knee.

The look on Chrom's face, as he stood over Emmeryn's corpse with tears in his eyes… It wasn't a look Robin wanted to remember, but it was imprinted in his mind all the same. Even Lissa fell into a similar slump, and it took the combined efforts of Sumia, Maribelle, and Lon'qu to help her out of her grief.

If he was being honest, the whole ordeal reminded Robin of when he lost his mother to some unknown disease, and the weeks of grief it caused him before he finally buried her body.

After Robin left his mother, however, he met Chrom and Lissa in a field, so it wasn't an entirely awful event, and it helped Robin find his place in life. Once Gangrel was put down, Robin hoped that Chrom could find a similar peace of mind.

"Hold it right there, buddy." An unfriendly voice spoke behind Robin, and he turned around to see a Plegian soldier standing before him with a bow drawn and aimed at his heart. "Guess you should've been more observant of your surroundings, huh?"

Robin slowly raised his hands to the sky in an act of surrender. None of his friends were in the immediate area, so he needed to think of something. "Put the magic book down before I let this arrow loose."

A sigh escaped Robin's lips as he dropped his tome to the ground. "I… I did it! I outsmarted Ylisse's master tactician! I'm a hero!" The soldier began to smile and speak in a giddy tone while he kept his drawstring taught. "Man, Gangrel's gonna have fun picking your brain for secrets about your friends. Maybe he'll be kind enough to torture you."

" _This should stall him for time…_ " Robin rolled his eyes as he kept his hands up, then began to speak. "What is your name?"

"George. Not that it matters, but I'll tell you that much." The soldier responded.

"Alright, George. I'll let you in on a secret about me. Everything I say is a lie. Am I telling the truth?" Robin smirked.

George's eyes began to shift around the area as he pondered the question.

"No, because you said everything you say is a lie. But! That means that you told the truth! So everything you say _isn't_ a lie! But then you lied about saying that you lied, so you just lied, proving your statement wrong, and-" As George's mind stumbled and tripped over itself, he turned his focus away from Robin and to the side.

Before Robin could blast this fool with some magic, the soldier was knocked over by a blur of crimson and white that floated above the ground and sounded like a horse.

As George tumbled to the ground, his hands let fly an arrow and he watched as it sailed into Robin's knee. George smiled as he watched Robin fall to the ground in pain, then looked up just in time to see a lance impale his heart.

Intense pain shot through Robin's knee as he lied on his side and stared at the arrow sticking out of it. He slowly turned his head to see George, dead and stabbed through the chest by a figure standing above him. He looked up with a pained expression to see who his savior was.

The first thing Robin noticed was her long strands of red hair that flapped in the wind like cloth on a flag. She looked to be a pegasus knight, judging by her pegasus behind her and her armor that bore similarities to Sumia's, just with a red and white motif instead of purple and pink. She held a bloodied lance upright in her metal gauntlets as she stood against the setting sun, and Robin noticed that her armor had scrapes and cuts on it that revealed parts of her skin.

"Um… Hello there." Robin coughed out as he clutched his knee and noticed that this woman was mumbling, completely oblivious to him. "Hello?" She looked as though her mind was someplace else.

"Ah!" The woman jumped up in surprise as she noticed Robin and leaned over him, then noticed the bloodied section of his pants around his knee. "Oh, gods that's a great deal of blood..."

"Can you please help me out here?" Robin said

"I have some salve here…" Robin watched as the woman walked to her pegasus and grabbed a bottle and some cloth out of a saddle bag. He swore that she mumbled 'Gods, they're all dead' while she reached into the bag. "My name is Cordelia, by the way."

"Wait, you're the Cordelia? The star recruit of the Ylissean Pegasus Knights?" Robin couldn't believe his luck; rescued by the most capable pegasus knight in the land.

"I… suppose…" Cordelia got down on her knees and dabbed the cloth into the bottle. "Please don't call me the star recruit. Just Cordelia is fine."

Robin watched as she pulled her gauntlets off to reveal her feminine fingers that held his knee. "Now, this might sting a little, but this is the only way to treat arrow wounds." What confused Robin was that Cordelia seemed to be fighting back tears. "I can do this… I can do this…" She quietly spoke to herself.

But Robin had other things to think of, like the searing pain that shot through his body as Cordelia pulled the arrow out of his knee and quickly applied salve to his wound. "Sorry! Sorry! I'm just trying to help!"

"No, no! You're doing great! It just stings is all!" Robin tried to comfort her given how obvious her distress was.

Once Cordelia applied a bandage to Robin's wound, she helped him to his feet. Now that they stood together, Robin noticed that Cordelia was roughly the same height as him. They both determined that Robin would have trouble walking for the next few hours, so Cordelia suggested that Robin take a ride on her pegasus.

"How did you know who I was?" Cordelia asked as Robin sat behind her with his arms wrapped tightly around her waist for support.

"Phila told us before we left that you were going to join our group along the way," Robin responded. "But why is your armor so damaged?"

Cordelia's silence told Robin that she wasn't ready to answer questions like that and that he should instead feel awkward as he felt Cordelia's skin against his hands.

By the time Cordelia had gotten to where Chrom was, Vasto had been killed by Gaius with a dagger to the back and laid dead on the canyon floor.

"Alright, we earned our respite!" Chrom raised his sword with a cheer as Robin and Cordelia both got to their feet. "I'm proud of each and every one of yo-"

The Shepherds watched in mild horror as Cordelia leaned over Vasto's body and aimed her lance down at his lifeless face. She knew that this man commanded the Plegian Wyvern Knights; the same knights who attacked and killed all of Cordelia's comrades.

She mumbled something as she stabbed Vasto's head with her lance. She stabbed his head again. All of the Shepherds, besides Robin and Chrom, took a step back. Once Vasto's head resembled a bloody pile, Cordelia sat atop his body and began punching it with her fists. With every strike, she could feel her comrades presence with her. Both the rage and exhaustion in her voice was at a peak as she let out a scream of rage.

Vasto's body was unrecognizable as Cordelia stood up, looked at the Shepherds, then began to sob profusely before Robin began to walk towards her. She needed a shoulder to cry on and-

"Coming through!" Sumia shoved past Robin and ran to Cordelia's side. "Everyone, just give her some time."

Cordelia began to sob profusely into Sumia's shoulder. "She's been through a lot..."

After the battle winded to a close, Cordelia went to discuss her joining with Chrom and Frederick. Robin, on the other hand, immediately made a beeline for Sumia.

"Do you know her?" He asked. His shoulders still hurt from being shoved aside.

"Childhood friends." Sumia quickly answered as she stroked her pegasus' mane. "She just told me our squadron was wiped out."

"Oh..." Robin replied as he looked to the rocky ground. "She was close with them, wasn't she?"

"You could say that." Sumia turned and looked to Robin. "You seem to be trying to get close to her, though."

"What? No, no." Robin held his hands up and forced himself not to blush. "I just want to understand everyone that I order. That's all."

"Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that."

* * *

Later that night, Cordelia paced back and forth in the armory of the Shepherds' camp. She wasn't worried about fitting in with her new group, as they gladly accepted her with open arms, but instead all she could think about was the constant screams of her comrades in her head.

Every step she took, every second she spent since her escape, she heard them. She heard all of them. All of her friends screaming in pain mixed with the crackling of fire and the sounds of wyvern knights overrunning the barracks.

It had gotten to the point that Cordelia began sorting the weapons in the armory as a means to distract herself from the wails of her past. She was so absorbed in sorting that she failed to notice Chrom enter the tent.

"Cordelia, are you alright?" Cordelia's heart nearly skipped a beat as she turned to face Chrom. Ever since she was a child, she wanted to serve the Exalt, but only now were her dreams staring her right in the face.

"Oh! Yes, I'm fine…" Cordelia stopped sorting the weapons and sat down on a chair. She looked intently at Chrom, who shuffled his way to the chair beside her. "Actually, if we're being honest… I need help."

"Go on…" Chrom gave her a reassuring smile that she immediately wished was there to greet her whenever she woke up.

"My comrades… The Pegasus Knights of Ylisse… They were all killed in that attack this morning, but they spared their lives so I could escape." She took a pause as she spoke and stared into Chrom's eyes. "Why? I was the youngest recruit, yet they saved me..."

"Because they knew you're the future of your squadron. They knew you had the most promise, and they wanted to see you survive." Chrom answered back as Cordelia's eyes began to water. "Yesterday, when Phila informed us that you were joining, she was singing your praises for a solid hour or two."

"B-but… Every second, I hear their screams! I tried taking a rest and all I got was nightmares! Even when I talked with Robin after the battle I coul-"

"Do you need a hug?" Cordelia was taken aback by how informal Chrom was.

Emmeryn had taught Chrom that everyone needed a little physical contact once in awhile, regardless if you were the commander of the army.

"...Yes…" She quickly stood up and felt Chrom's arms wrap around her as she held him with her own.

"Everything is going to be okay, Cordelia."

As they stood there, with Cordelia bawling her eyes out, she realized something. When Chrom was near her, she didn't feel the weight of her comrades bearing down on her. She felt at peace with herself, and most importantly, she felt cared for.

"If you ever need someone to talk to, you know where to find me." Chrom pulled away from the embrace, much to Cordelia's dismay, and began to walk out. "Oh, and one more thing. Thank you for sorting the weapons."

Cordelia stood there in silence for a good five minutes or so before she finally came to a conclusion.

She was madly in love with Chrom. He was the only person she met who made her feel special, and he was able to lift the weight of her grief with his presence.

He was someone Cordelia wanted to spend the rest of her life with, both as a knight and as a lover.

In order to get Chrom's attention, however, she needed to make herself invaluable to the army. If he complimented her on sorting a simple weapons rack, then surely he would want her hand in marriage if she were to sort the entire contents of the camp within a single night.

* * *

"Hey, Cordelia. Are you in here?" Robin asked as he opened the flap to the armory tent and looked around. All he could do last night was think about Cordelia, and he wasn't sure why. Even the soreness of his knee wasn't a priority compared to her. "Chrom said you were distraught last night and I wanted to ask if you were alrig-"

Robin's eyes settled on Cordelia, who stood upright with bloodshot eyes and two lances in hand. She placed both of them on a rack before collapsing to the floor with a wheeze. "Gods, are you okay?"

"Oh… Hi Robin…" Every word she spoke was long and drawn out. Robin knelt down beside her and looked at her eyes. "I sorted all of the tent… Aren't you proud...?"

"Did you stay up all night doing this?" Robin asked in a worried tone.

"Yes… It's not that important though… I'm making myself invaluable to the Shepherds and to Chro…"

Cordelia shut her eyes and began to snore on the spot as Robin sighed. He stepped outside the tent and eventually got Sumia to help carry Cordelia to her tent.

By the time Cordelia had been placed on Sumia's bed, Robin was already starving and eager to finally get a meal. He smiled and waved to the various members of the Shepherds as he made his way to the mess tent, but he still was unable to think of anything besides Cordelia.

Frankly, Robin was troubled with how much he cared about her, considering they had just met yesterday.

After Robin entered the yellow-ish interior of the tent and got his plate of food from Stahl, who was on cooking duty, he found Sumia and Gaius sitting down at a table counting jars of honey.

"Twenty-one… twenty-two… twenty-three jars of honey?!" Gaius threw up his hands in anger. "That merchant promised me twenty-five!"

"You still got twenty-three jars of honey. It's not the end of the world or anything." Sumia looked incredibly frustrated with Gaius, but she perked up the instant she noticed Robin sit down on the other side of the table. "Oh, hi Robin! Thanks for helping out with Cordelia."

"No problem. Speaking of her, though…" Robin would've continued before Gaius butted in.

"Oh, sure. Hijack my conversation with Sumia. Why not just steal my honey while you're at it." He spoke in an annoyed voice before Sumia turned to glare at him.

"You cannot do that. Robin is just as entitled as you are to have a conversation. You can't just come in here, plop your honey collection down and force me to talk to you, then act all mad when Robin does something similar." Sumia stuck her pointer finger directly in front of his mouth while she glared. "You and I are going to have to work on your people skills."

"Who are you: my mother?" Gaius smirked as he tried to focus his attention away from Sumia but was unable to.

"If it means teaching you how to interact with other people, then sure." Robin was slightly unsettled by how serious Sumia could be when she wanted to.

"Alright, mommy. Can you teach me how to suck my thumb while you're at it?" Gaius looked obviously frustrated and stood up before Sumia grabbed him by the hand. Robin was too busy thinking of the myriad of explicit situations where Gaius could refer to Sumia as 'mommy.'

"You want me to help track down this merchant? Then sit here and listen to Robin's troubles. You do something for me, and I do something for you. It's called cooperation." Sumia kept Gaius down on the bench, then completely shifted to a smile as she faced Robin. "So what's up with you and Cordelia?"

"Listen, if you two want some alone time, I'd completely understand and-" Robin noticed that Gaius seemed to be mouthing the words 'help me.'

"No, please. Continue." Sumia's eyes were piercing into him. " _I insist_."

"Well, I'm worried about Cordelia. I only met her yesterday and already I can't stop thinking about her." Robin slumped forward in his chair.

"Ohohoho! Looks like someone has a case of the lovebugs!" Gaius laughed to himself as Robin's cheeks began to match the color of the apple on Sumia's plate.

"Oh, be quiet, you." Sumia tossed a glare at Gaius and debated elbowing him in the gut, but decided against it. "Robin, you shouldn't feel bad about caring for her."

"I know, but I have a sneaking suspicion that what Gaius said is true, and I can't have that." He dragged his fork through his food before deciding to eat it later.

"And why is that?" Sumia leaned forward and used her elbows to support her head.

"I'm the tactician. I can't have personal connections to my troops, or else it'll affect my judgment when I have to make decisions."

"Oh, come on. You make it sound like we're going to die on you any minute." Sumia couldn't help but laugh before shifting back to a smile. "You're already friends with all of your troops, and I know you worry about all of us. So we already impact your judgment." She leaned in close to Robin to drive her point home. "There's nothing wrong with having romantic feelings for someone you work with. It's not like we're working in a church or palace."

Robin couldn't exactly disagree with her, but still had something on his mind.

"But isn't it weird that I care so much about her considering we only just met?"

"Everyone born on this land has a soulmate that they're destined to spend their days with. If you meet them early, then you've just got a headstart on spending your life in love." Sumia began twiddling her fingers and sneaking quick glances at Gaius. Robin began to think that maybe the concept of tough love was still alive and kicking.

"I just… I need to mull it over." Robin sighed.

"Denial is the first step to acceptance," Gaius spoke in a serious voice while he handed Robin a small book. "While you come to terms with your affection, you should spend more time with her. And while you do that, take notes on her personality. That way you have a headstart in case you do want to get into her miniskirt."

Sumia glared at Gaius and fought the urge to slap him as Robin stuffed the journal into the pocket of his cloak.

"I agree with Gaius, although on a less vulgar level." Sumia stood up and yanked Gaius up with her. "Cordelia's a great person, and you'll get along with her just fine. Now, Gaius and I have to go track down a scamming honey merchant." Sumia left the tent with Gaius in tow, leaving Robin to his thoughts as he poked his food.

Eventually, when Cordelia did wake up, Robin was the first person to greet her as she slowly stumbled out of her tent and into the warm sunlight of the afternoon.

What didn't surprise Robin was that Cordelia immediately wanted to get back to work around the camp.

"Can I help you out with all your chores?" Robin asked, and Cordelia was taken aback.

"Oh, no I cannot. I don't deserve your help." Cordelia simply couldn't have her commanding officer (of sorts) helping her around the camp. "It would paint the image that we're friends…"

"Is there a problem with that?" Robin raised his eyebrow as he looked directly into Cordelia's red, slightly tired eyes.

"Well, no, but it would be strange to have my tactician working with me in an informal way." Cordelia glanced at her side nervously.

"It's only weird if you make it weird." Clearly, the ice queen would need some defrosting. "Come on, there's a few crates in storage that need to be moved around and I need your help. You wouldn't want to leave your tactician carrying crates by himself, now, would you?"

Cordelia knew that Robin had verbally trapped her in a corner with that silver tongue of his.

"If you insist." She responded, then walked with Robin towards the storage tent.

* * *

Many, many centuries ago, a single man with short, brown hair sat by himself in a run-down bar while moonlit poured in through a window. He clutched his head in his hands and began to quietly sob.

" _My… My life is a mess…_ " His thoughts were riddled with distraught. " _My wife left me, my son hates me… I don't know what to do…_ "

Suddenly, a low, growling voice began to speak to him.

"I can… grant you unlimited power." It seemed to be only heard in his thoughts, as none of the other bar patrons noticed it. "Just do as I wish, and go to where I direct you."

"Who… Who are you?" The man whispered to himself, and the people around him scooted away as a result.

"The Fell Dragon. Now, what is your name?"

"Lagermil." His voice was louder now.

"Now, Lagermil. You must go to the ruins of Thabes and find a labyrinth. I shall direct you." Once the voice spoke, Lagermil decided that he had no other options and that trusting this mysterious voice was the only thing he could do.

* * *

You've probably noticed that big 'Cordelia's Tale: Act I Part I' sign up above by now and thinking "What the hell? How can a story have acts and parts?"

Allow me to explain.

This story is split into ten acts, five for Cordelia, and five for Severa. Each act has a subtitle (for this act, it's Child of Chaos) that can be used to identify it. After one act ends, the story will alternate to the other character's act. For example, this act is followed by Severa's Tale: Act I, and after that is Cordelia's Tale: Act II, and the cycle continues from there.

Every act has multiple parts, which are about the length of a standard chapter/mini-chapter. This act has nine parts, for reference. This is so that you, the reader, don't have to read one massive chapter. The last part of every act will be labeled as finale.

With that explanation out of the way, I sincerely hope you enjoy the following story, and I suggest you buckle up. It's a long ride ahead.


	2. C Act I: Child of Chaos Part II

Cordelia's Tale: Act I

Child of Chaos

Part II

* * *

After a few weeks of working around the camp, Robin felt that he had a good grasp on Cordelia's personality. Everything she did had to be to the highest degree, be it stacking crates, sorting weapons, or making morale-boosting posters of Chrom with Frederick's assistance.

In regards to Chrom, it had taken a while for Cordelia to confess, while they were putting food in storage during the night, that she was hopelessly in love with Chrom. It was rather obvious, given how flustered she would become around his presence, but Robin grew to ignore it. He had no romantic feelings for Cordelia whatsoever, regardless of what Sumia and Gaius insisted. He still took informative notes about her, but it was more to prove a point.

Cordelia, meanwhile, had been studying the personality of this man who so obviously cared for her it was almost laughable. Every morning he would be waiting outside her tent with a big smile on his face, so eager to spend more time with her, she wasn't sure if it was all a joke or not. None of her previous comrades had displayed this eagerness to work with her; in fact, they just wanted nothing to do with her in the time they knew each other.

She appreciated someone obviously caring for her, but it still felt unnatural to her. It didn't help that this was the man who had to manage the lives of the Shepherds in battle.

On this day, in particular, Robin had to stop by Chrom's tent for a few questions, most of which involved Cordelia.

The regal-ish interior of Chrom's tent looked like one belonging to the ruler of a nation, what with the piles of documents and stamps. On the other hand, the collection of swords and other military objects thrown around looked more like the room of a teenage boy.

"Hey, Chrom. You in here?" Robin scanned the area and felt a hand touch him on the shoulder.

"Now I am. You were so focused on that journal of yours that you didn't notice me walking behind you." Chrom flashed him a warm smile as he sat down at his table while Robin seated himself on the opposite side. If there was ever someone who Robin would trust with his life, it was Chrom. Through months of companionship and help in battle, Robin and Chrom had forged a bond that would likely survive for years to come.

"So, I know we've got our hands full with the war and Gangrel, but I have a more personal question to ask," Robin spoke as he stuffed his journal into his cloak. "Are you aware of the Cordelia situation?"

"I know she's one of the most capable and emotional people we have. Anything else?" Chrom raised his eyebrow.

"She's uh… She's madly in love with you." Robin noticed the look of realization that dawned on Chrom's face. "I think she's doing all the work around camp just to get your attention."

"O-oh…" Chrom sat down and looked as though he was mulling this statement over. "You're serious?"

Robin nodded his head while Chrom mumbled to himself. He looked rather stunned. "U-unfortunately, I consider her more of a friend than anything."

"You need to tell her this. She's almost broken her back doing chores and I suspect my help is the only thing keeping her from dying of exhaustion."

"Well, then you need to keep accompanying her. I can't tell her how I feel because that would crush her."

"But not telling her will just cause her to keep following her self-destructive path," Robin argued back.

"I know, I know. It's a hard decision, but that's what we have to do sometimes." Chrom raised his hands and noticed how stressed Robin looked. "In fact, I have an idea. You clearly care for her in a romantic way, so why don't I just order you two to go explore uncharted land for a day?"

" _Friends_. We are _friends_." Robin was getting tired of the glances he would get around camp; at one point he swore he heard Vaike call him 'lover-boy' while he wasn't looking.

"That big, dopey grin you have on your face every morning while you wait outside her tent says otherwise." Chrom got up and began sorting through a pile of various supplies. He eventually dug up a flag with the Ylissean Emblem embroidered on it, then grabbed a map. "Your task is to go to this desert, find something interesting, stake a claim on them for Ylisse, then report back in about a few days or so."

"Chrom, you can't be serious." Robin placed his hand on his head and sighed. Chrom was awful when he tried to help out in matters he had no business in.

"You'll need camping supplies for the night, but we uh... Only have one spare blanket." His face was flushed and it was clear he didn't enjoy being the one to break the news.

"You're kidding." Robin glared at him. "Why can't I just take mi-" He then debated hitting himself on the forehead as he remembered that today was laundry day, and said blankets would not be ready by the time they left. "If you know this is a bad idea, then why are you sending us on it?"

"...Everyone likes a vacation?" Chrom shrugged his shoulders and tried his best not to laugh. "You both look tired and you've certainly done more than your fair share around the camp."

"And you're sending me out there with her knowing that we only have one blanket."

"You've got fire magic. I'm sure you'll figure something out." Before Robin could grill Chrom and his stupidity even further, a feminine voice called from the outside of the tent.

"Hello? Is a-anyone in here?" Robin had no idea whose voice it was, and it sounded nothing like any of the other Shepherds.

"Come in, Olivia! Robin and I were just finishing up a discussion." Chrom stood up and smiled as a pink-haired woman wearing a white leotard shuffled her way into the tent. "Robin, this is Olivia. She's our newest reinforcement from Regna Ferox. Do you have any news from Basilio?"

"My K-khan wished to inform you that the Feroxi will stand at your side in the war against Plegia," Olivia spoke and looked as though she had spent hours preparing to say that simple sentence. She seemed to be flustered just by Chrom's presence.

"That's great to hear; any help against the Mad King is appreciated." Chrom motioned for Olivia to seat herself in the chair Robin was currently sitting in. "See you tomorrow, Robin." Chrom indicated for his friend to stand up and leave.

Robin realized the maneuver Chrom had just made and rolled his eyes as he stood up.

"Be careful around this one." Robin glared daggers at Chrom while he spoke, then walked out the door. Olivia thought they were aimed at her, however.

"There's no need to be rude, you know," Chrom responded, then noticed the look of confused unease on Olivia's face.

The instant Robin exited Chrom's tent with the flag and map in hand, he found Cordelia seemingly waiting for him outside.

"Did you talk to Chrom about something?" She asked and noticed the flag that Robin was carrying.

"Yes. He wants us to go explore uncharted lands, and we have to leave within the hour." Robin dropped the flag on the ground and unfurled the map so Cordelia could see it.

She bent over to inspect the map and dragged her finger to a red question mark placed in the northern border between Regna Ferox and Plegia.

"Do we really have business up there? That's Plegian land." Cordelia leaned back upright as Robin furled the map back up.

"The inner machinations of Chrom's mind are a mystery to us all." Robin knew that Chrom had just randomly selected a plot of land without caring for the diplomatic ramifications of it.

"I'll get some camping supplies and meet you back here in thirty minutes." Cordelia waved and walked back into the camp, leaving Robin to stand there for a while with his fancy flag.

By the time Cordelia returned with some camping supplies and her pegasus, Sumia and Gaius were waiting to see them off.

"You two have fun now, alright?" Sumia watched as they clambered onto Cordelia's pegasus and took off into the skies.

* * *

Amidst the vast, scalding deserts of Plegia, Cordelia's pegasus soared above the ground while Robin and Cordelia scanned the ground for any landmarks. Although there was the occasional half-submerged pillar, nothing caught their attention for a few hours of relaxing flying.

Although, calling it relaxing was an overstatement considering how overheated Robin felt in his cloak.

"Are you holding up alright?" Cordelia turned around to ask as she felt Robin's hands around her waist for support. "Because your hands are getting really sweaty."

"Oh, sorry!" Robin quickly removed his hands from Cordelia and placed them at his side. Cordelia noticed that his entire face was now the shade of her hair as he attempted to smile, but ending up grimacing.

"Do you see anything worth landmarking?" Cordelia asked as she continued to stare at the desert floor.

Five minutes passed before Robin's eyes finally settled on something. It looked to be the entrance to some ruins, submerged in the sand and probably untouched for many days.

"Down there. I see some ruins." Robin tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the buried ruins.

"Good find." Cordelia steered her pegasus towards the ground and slowed it to a stop right at the entrance. Both she and Robin dismounted the pegasus, then felt a rush of cold air breeze over them as they stood before the dark, foreboding entrance to the ruins. Robin quickly planted the flag at the side of the entrance.

"Ready?" Cordelia asked as she stood next to Robin.

"I guess." Robin felt something… Something odd emanate out of this temple. It reminded him of the cold winters of his mother's house, except it seemed to be seeping into his thoughts with its mystery.

Robin grabbed an elfire tome out of his cloak and summoned a small ball of flame in his hand. Using the light source, they both waded their feet through the floor of sand and eventually stepped into a large, decrepit room.

A single stone tablet stood amidst the yellow-tinted walls and was barely legible as Robin inspected it. "This… Thabes Labyrinth… none set foot… cursed halls." Robin took a step back and began to ponder what this meant. It certainly was an ominous warning, and Robin began to wonder if they should get out while they still could.

"I've heard stories about the ancient city of Thabes. Supposedly, it housed an ancient civilization that collapsed before even the Hero King came to power." Cordelia grabbed a nearby torch from the walls and lit it with Robin's flame. "If this belonged to the Thabians, then maybe there's treasure somewhere in here."

"Then let's keep going." Robin walked beside Cordelia as they descended further into the labyrinth. After a few minute, they found a rope tied to a hole in the ground and clambered down it.

* * *

Once Lagermil had made his way to the decrepit labyrinth, he slowly passed by stone slabs and used a coil of rope to descend further and further into the sand-covered ruins. The voice wouldn't quit talking in his thoughts, and it sounded more excited the deeper he went into the twisting tunnels of the ruins.

"You have reached the destination." The voice spoke as Lagermil stood before a pair of golden doors that had six eyes engraved on them. "Step into the chamber and receive your reward."

Lagermil stepped inside the large, circular chamber and found that same symbol of six eyes waiting for him on the floor. He felt the overpowering presence of _something_ as he stood in the center of the floor.

"Now, this next step is no easy feat. I shall grant you my greatest gift, and use your body to conquer the world." The voice spoke back and unnerved Lagermil with how excited it sounded.

"You mean… You'll possess me?" Lagermil asked, but his question would go unanswered.

"Do you accept?" The voice asked. Lagermil was left confused but knew that if he wanted to be known in history and actually do something with his life, he must accept.

"I accept," Lagermil spoke in a squeamish tone, then immediately his hands were pushed to his front by some ghostly force.

On his right hand, there was now a purple mark of six eyes, exactly like the one on the floor he stood on.

"You've made me a very happy dragon today, Lagermil." The voice was louder now and seemed to be overpowering Lagermil's will.

But Lagermil was gone; trapped in a prison constructed in his own mind. In his place was Grima, the Fell Dragon, who had a vengeance to enact on humanity, through a conquest of blood and tears.

* * *

By the time Robin and Cordelia got to what seemed to be the bottom of the labyrinth, their feet were aching and their boots were filled with sand. Sure, Robin had made small talk with Cordelia for most of the time, but it felt like the both of them just didn't want to be in these old, empty ruins.

Their sadness would eventually turn back to curiosity when they stumbled upon a worn-down set of doors that had a faded pattern of what looked like three eyes. What made the doors stand out was that they were already pushed open, and lead to a large circular room that was lit by torches.

Cordelia threw her torch away and gained a look of fear when she noticed that someone was standing in the room. Robin noticed the person as well and dispelled the ball of flame in his hand.

"Oh, Grima… The time of your resurrection is almost complete…" A voice echoed from the chamber. It seemed to be coming from the man Cordelia had noticed.

"What should we do?" Cordelia whispered to Robin.

"Let's slowly approach them." Robin began to slowly tiptoe into the room while Cordelia followed his lead. Upon closer inspection, the character was a tall man with bushy, black hair that wore black robes.

The man raised his hands to the ceiling, which looked to have been patched up with bricks of a different material than the ones the labyrinth was made with. "That disgusting Exalt has been slain, and we have taken the Shield of Seals from the Ylisseans."

Robin's heart skipped a beat. On the night of the assassination, Chrom had discovered that the Shield of Seals, the treasure of Ylisse, had been stolen along with Emmeryn's life. Robin also remembered a tall, lanky man with gray skin who spearheaded the attack.

Cordelia seemed to have come to the same conclusion that Robin did, as she drew her lance and began to advance towards the man. As Robin advanced by her side, Cordelia felt something tickle her nose.

The bridge of her nose began to wiggle, and she felt her hands raise for a bit. Dust from the ruins must have snuck into her nostrils and tickled the inside of it.

"Ah! Ahchoo!" Cordelia covered her mouth and attempted to silence her outburst, but her sneeze echoed throughout the chamber and caused the man to quickly turn around, much to their dismay.

"You!" The man pointed at Robin, and he was indeed the man who had lead the attack on Emmeryn. "You dare defile this sacred place with your ignorance?"

"Murderer!" Robin screamed and began to charge the man. He raised his sword on high and began to slash it towards the man, but was stopped mid-slice.

"Stop." A low, growling voice spoke in his thoughts. His body froze; the man laughed.

"The Heart of Grima beats within you still!" He cackled with glee and noticed the mark on Robin's right hand, which began shining with a bright, purple light. "This sacred place is bringing out the true strength of your bloodline!"

Robin had always thought the mark on his right hand was a birthmark, not something related to his ancestry.

"Drop." The voice boomed again, and Robin's vision became blurred as his hand relaxed and dropped the sword on its own. The man lifted Robin's hand up and began to inspect it while Robin's eyes nervously darted around the room.

"Yes, yes… Your mother raised you well. A sad shame she hid you from me." The man drew his head close to Robin's and pierced through Robin with his red eyes. "Come, my son. There is much for us to do."

"Wh… What the hell?" Robin's teeth clenched as he struggled to speak. How could this murderer of a man be his father?

"Get away from him!" In the midst of the man's fascination with Robin, who currently was suffering a crisis from what was just stated, he failed to notice Cordelia sneak up behind him and drive a lance through his chest. Robin watched in terrified glee as a spear protruded from the man's chest and Cordelia appeared behind him with a glare on her face.

"Augh!" The man screamed as purple fog began to surround him. Within seconds, he was gone, leaving Cordelia to tumble directly into Robin and knock them both to the ground.

By the time Robin regained control of his body, his breathing began to accelerate rapidly and he felt Cordelia attempt to get off of him before he wrapped his hands around her back and held her against his chest. He didn't want to do this, of course, but in his panic, his hands latched onto the closest thing they could and wouldn't budge.

" _How can that man be my father? How did he control me? How! How!_ "

"Robin, are you alright?!" Cordelia struggled to pull herself up from Robin's grip. The panic in his normally calm eyes was unnerving; like a once-unmoveable oak tree toppling from a breeze. Once she realized that his grip was tightening, she settled on calming him down. "Okay, look at me."

Robin's panicked eyes locked onto her face like a ship adrift in a storm spotting a lighthouse. "Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Focus on me. Focus. On. Me."

Robin's breathing and panicked screaming began to slow to a crawl as his eyes became less jittery. His hands still maintained their tight grip on her back, however.

"C-can we stay like this for a bit?" Robin wheezed the words out while his forehead was coated with sweat. This had to be one of the most uncomfortable situations to place Cordelia in, and he felt nobody to blame but himself.

"Um… If it will help you calm down." Cordelia sighed and remained silent as she laid atop Robin.

Growing up, Robin had a very soft spot for animals, particularly cats. He had one and treated it almost like a child. When Robin's mother informed him that the cat died of old age, Robin panicked and fell to the floor in a screaming, hyperventilating mess. It took the reassuring embrace of his mother to calm him down, but that moment always stuck with Robin. It was something he hoped he had grown out of.

Unfortunately, he had not. In fact, it seemed that Cordelia had just acted as a stand-in for Robin's mother, and given the age-old rumor that men end up marrying someone like their mother...

He was not enjoying where this situation was heading, to say the least.

"Thank you." Robin released Cordelia from his grip and she immediately got to her feet, then helped Robin up. "I'm sorry, that was really strange of me and-"

"Everyone needs some physical contact once in awhile." Cordelia echoed the very same words that Chrom told her a few weeks ago as Robin's eyes drifted to the outer wall of the room.

There was a mural on the wall, of a featureless man with a purple mark on his right hand, standing a flaming depiction of the world, and a purple dragon behind the man. Below the man was a message.

'The Ruination'. Robin looked at the painting, then at the back of his hand. Coupled with the cryptic words his supposed father said about the Heart of Grima, Robin was not in the happiest of mindsets.

He slumped over on his knees and began to cry.

"Am I… Am I going to do this?" Robin mumbled to himself while he buried his hands in his head. Cordelia overheard what he said, knelt down next to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Everything will be fine, because we're friends, and friends look out for each other," Cordelia spoke in a soft tone into his ear. "I won't let you destroy anything on my watch."

"I'm doomed to ruin the world," Robin mumbled into his hands.

"Not while I'm around you won't. And besides, that mural probably doesn't matter to you." Cordelia remembered when she would become this stressed in training, and how some of her fellow knights would stick around her and cheer her up.

Maybe she did inherit their legacy after all.

"You're… You're right. That man probably just used magic on me or something and claimed to be my father." Robin stood up and dusted himself off. Just because he had some odd experience in some ruins he would avoid for the rest of his life didn't mean he was hopeless. "Now let's get out of here." He helped Cordelia get to her feet then walked beside her as they exited the ruins, and Robin's doubts were left to rot down there as well.


	3. C Act I: Child of Chaos Part III

Cordelia's Tale: Act I

Child of Chaos

Part III

Author's Note: I recommend listening to _Stickerbrush Symphony_ from _Donkey Kong Country 2_ when you see one * mark, and _Supporting Me_ from _Sonic Generations_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

By the time Robin and Cordelia exited the ruins, the sun had almost finished its day-long voyage along the sky, which now matched the color of the desert sands. Cordelia dragged her hand along the mane of her pegasus, which had waited patiently for the two to return, and she began to ponder what their next move should be.

"We should get as far as we can before we camp." Cordelia looked at the map and determined which direction led to the snowy lands of Regna Ferox. "That way. I'd much rather sleep in the snow than the sand."

"Can we get some food first?" Robin's stomach began to churn and produce strange noises as he clutched it. Cordelia realized that she wouldn't have any problems with a dinner break as well.

"We have some dry food in the bag. Can you eat while I fly us towards a camping ground?" Cordelia rooted through her saddlebag and pulled out a cloth bundle that contained a ham sandwich.

"I think I'll be fine with the sandwich for now." Robin took the sandwich and began to munch on it as he boarded Cordelia's pegasus behind her.

By the time Cordelia was able to reach the halfway point between the desert and the Shepherds' camp, they found themselves above the snow-tipped forests of Regna Ferox. Snowflakes brushed up against their faces while they stayed in the air, and Robin had been feeling stomach pains for the last hour. "I really should not have eaten that sandwich…" He mumbled to himself while Cordelia quietly chuckled to herself.

"You just need more training with holding your gut in." She spoke, then noticed a rather beautiful lake in a forest clearing. She landed her pegasus next to the lake and observed her surroundings.

 ***** The night sky and full moon in the sky reflected off the lake and added to the overall serenity of the area, and Cordelia quickly dismounted from her pegasus without a moment's thought.

"We're camping here?" Robin asked as he remained on the pegasus and noticed that Cordelia was wading through ankle-high snow. In fact, the whole area was covered with snow.

Robin had to admit that it looked rather romantic, but he cared more about if he was freezing in snow than if the location made for a nice postcard.

"Yes. Get the tent out and I'll help you set it up." Cordelia turned to face him and watched as he dismounted the pegasus, shivered uncontrollably the instant his boots touched the snow, then pulled out a large, rolled-up tent and some stakes from the saddlebag.

Without saying a word, Robin used a blue tome to summon gusts of wind that pushed most of the snow by the lake away. He then unfurled the tent with Cordelia's help and grabbed a few wooden stakes.

"You should go grab firewood. Use my sword." Robin held his sword by the blade so that Cordelia could grab the hilt. She nodded and began to chop down a nearby tree while Robin debated how to keep these stakes in the ground. He had no mallet, so he would have to use something flat and heavy.

By the time Cordelia returned with a healthy amount of firewood, she found Robin using one of his tomes to hammer the tent stakes into the ground. It seemed to be working, but she couldn't help but laugh.

"Having fun there?" She asked as she placed the firewood in a pile a good distance away from the tent.

"If it works, then it works." Robin turned back to face her and smiled while he shrugged. Once he was sure the tent wasn't going to fly away on them, he prepared a fire tome to light the campfire but discovered that Cordelia had already done so using two sticks.

The campfire crackled to life and created a red glow that warmed Robin just from the look of it. Cordelia beckoned Robin to sit down opposite her, but not before grabbing the rest of the food from the saddle bag.

She returned to her seat and began to eat her sandwich. "You seem to be a natural at camping," Robin spoke.

"Wildlife survival was one of the first things recruits were taught in the squadron. Phila always said I had a gift for it." Cordelia stated in-between bites. "You seem to have some sort of magical solution for every problem."

"I blame my mother." Robin laughed to himself and Cordelia couldn't help but snicker at how infectious his laugh was. "While other children were outside romping in the mud, I was taught how to use a tome."

"Well, did you have any friends growing up?" Cordelia could tell that Robin didn't exactly have the best people skills, and his secluded childhood seemed to be the root cause of this problem.

"I uh… I had a cat?" Robin shrugged again and began to eat his slice of cake. "I didn't really have any friends before I met Chrom."

" _His lack of friends growing up must be why he's so attached to me…_ " Cordelia's analytical mind began to work on its own as she continued to eat her food.

Maybe that was why his panic attack ended only with her embrace, as human contact with people who weren't his mother was so alien to him that it forced his mind to focus on that.

While Cordelia was busy analyzing Robin, Robin was preoccupied with how beautiful Cordelia's crimson hair looked against the snowy night sky. Frankly, it perplexed Robin as to why Chrom wasn't madly in love with her. Even the features of her face, like her bright smile, were complemented by her hair.

"Well, we should probably catch some rest." Cordelia stood up once she finished her meal and grabbed two blankets out of the saddlebag. One for her, and one for Robin.

Or so Robin thought, as Cordelia put the second blanket over her pegasus and held the remaining one in her hands. "You don't mind sharing a blanket, right?"

"Uh…" Robin took a moment and pondered his situation, then realized he had just spent five minutes focusing on the beauty of a woman who was now offering to sleep next to him. "If you don't mind…"

With his hands stuffed into his pockets, Robin followed Cordelia inside the tent and crawled underneath the blanket. Even with the warmth of the blanket, Robin was still freezing, and Cordelia's shivering seemed to agree with him.

Five minutes of silence passed before Cordelia realized she was not going to sleep unless she took drastic measures.

"Robin… Can we huddle for warmth?" She turned to face him and noticed his panicked look.

"What? No no, it's fine. Here." There was no way in hell that Robin was going to put her through two awkward situations in one day. Which is why he pulled the blanket off of him and tossed his section to Cordelia so that she could have two layers.

"Robin, just come over here." Cordelia began to shuffle her body closer to Robin, who shuffled away in response.

"N-n-n-no, re-e-eal-l-ly. I-i-i'm-m fi-i-in-n-e-e." Robin's constant shivering would surely prevent Cordelia from falling asleep, but most importantly:

She cared about him.

"I'm not letting you freeze overnight." Cordelia lifted the side of the blanket up and used her other hand to beckon Robin closer.

"I'd r-r-r-rath-th-ther free-e-e-eze to d-d-d-death than fo-o-o-orce you to s-s-s-sleep next to m-m-me. It's to-o-o st-t-tran-nge-nge for both-th-th you a-a-a-and me." Robin folded his arms in an attempt to look stern while also warm himself up.

"It's only strange if you make it so." Cordelia's hand shot out like a viper and grabbed his arm. "Now come. Over. Here." She tugged his arm with every word but was unable to get him to budge.

After a lengthy internal debate, Robin decided that hypothermia was a much more pressing issue than his pride.

With a deafening silence, Robin shuffled himself underneath Cordelia's blanket and laid right next to her. "Was that so hard?" She smiled as she laid on her back and felt the warmth of his body immediately push away the cold.

"Yes." Robin's shivering stopped while his cheeks blushed.

"Oh, come now. You make it seem like I don't enjoy your company." Cordelia noticed that now his entire face was beet-red and matched her hair. " _He's had enough teasing for tonight._ Thanks for warming me up. Goodnight." Cordelia spoke in a soft tone as she shut her eyes.

"Thank you for not making it odd," Robin spoke as he also shut his eyes.

* * *

Cordelia awoke by herself in a pitch-black area with no idea how she got there. As she got to her feet, she felt a warm breeze drift over her, then realized that there were no sources of air that said breeze could've come from.

 ****** "Cordeeeeeliiiaaaaa…" Something low and animal-like groaned. The hairs on her skin stood on edge as she slowly backed up. Torches nearby her began to catch flame and reveal what was breathing on her.

Staring directly at her was a giant, quadruped lizard that had a pale coloration. Its long neck extended out to reveal its face, which was so close that Cordelia could touch it.

" _Oh, gods…_ " Cordelia continued to back up and stumbled off the platform she stood on. She fell backward and landed on her backside in a crimson fluid, and quickly got back on the platform.

In what looked to be the foyer of the Ylissean Castle, Cordelia stood atop a ring-shaped platform amidst a river of blood. Said blood was pouring out of the lizard from face-like holes in its body.

These weren't nondescript faces, however. These were the faces of her fallen _comrades_. Deaca, Lalap, Nata, all of them. All of their faces were embedded into this monster and writhing in agony as they cried blood.

"Cordelia!" The monster roared and almost knocked Cordelia over with the force of its voice. It slammed its head down on the platform and glared at her with two burning eyes as it began to turn towards her.

She ran. She ran as fast as she could along the platform away from this abomination while tears filled her eyes. All of her poor comrades, tortured even in death and fused to this monstrosity.

Cordelia's sobbing continued as she ran, but her legs couldn't keep up. She stumbled and tripped on her own trembling knees and landed on the stone ground. She quickly turned around and saw the lizard bearing over her and snapping its jaws.

"Cordelia!" The familiar voice of Robin called out as the lizard stopped its lunge. It reared back and appeared to be in pain as Cordelia looked up to see Robin standing before her with a tome in one hand and his other arm outstretched. "We need to retreat, now!"

The monster was kept at bay by Robin's magic long enough for Robin to help Cordelia to her feet and lead her off the platform through the blood to a hallway. When the lizard beast fought through the barrier, it was unable to find the two and decided to stay in its circle.

"Little lady genius… Come back…" It moaned. Cordelia wept again while she held Robin's hand and continued to run. Her feet splashed up the crimson fluid as they turned the corner into a hallway.

"Okay, I think we're safe," Robin spoke as he leaned against a wall and looked down to Cordelia's hand, which was tightly clasped around his own. He looked to his side to see that she was bawling his eyes out. "Cordelia, look at me. Look at me." He used his other hand to cup the side of her head and shift her head towards him. "Focus. On. Me."

She stared deep into his eyes and focused only on him. Her tears began to slow as she stared into his grey eyes and felt the warmth of his hands. She let out a whimper as she buried her head into his shoulder.

"I-I-I don't know what to do…" Her tears stained the fabric of his cloak as he rested his head atop hers.

"We can work through this. You won't have to do it alone." Robin spoke in a soft voice. "I'm here for you, and we can take down that thing together."

"Thank you…" Cordelia whispered as her crying stopped and she continued to rest her head on Robin's comfy shoulder.

Five minutes later, the monster let out a long roar as it noticed Robin and Cordelia emerge from a hallway and advance towards it. Where there was once fear in Cordelia's eyes, there was now anger. Her burning pupils stared the monster down as she stomped towards it with a lance in her hands.

"Ready?" Robin spoke and held a blue tome as Cordelia began to sprint towards the monster.

"Ready!" She yelled as a gust of wind summoned by Robin raised her into the air. She screamed in anger as she aimed her lance downwards towards a purple, vein-covered area on the lizard's back and watched her weapon pierce its skin.

* * *

Roughly around midnight, Robin's eyes were wide awake as he laid on the ground next to Cordelia. He had gotten a small amount of sleep before he was rudely awakened by his own nightmares about that grey man, and was unable to go back to sleep.

His thoughts focused on Cordelia and her alone for a few minute before he felt her begin to stir. She shifted her arms and wrapped them around Robin while she began to groan in her sleep.

He tried to shift his weight to free himself from her grip, but her hands stayed on him as if they were stuck with an adhesive.

"Cordelia, are you okay?" He whispered to no response.

A few minutes passed while Robin felt Cordelia's smooth hands against his skin before she stirred, again. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she tightened her grip and placed her head on his shoulder.

"I don't know what to do…" Cordelia mumbled in her sleep through Robin's shoulder.

As Robin laid there with Cordelia slumbering in his embrace, he realized a harsh truth. Chrom, Sumia, Gaius, the whole Shepherds: they were right. They were right about all of it.

Robin was deeply in love with Cordelia. He wanted to spend the rest of his days with her and care for her. He _wanted_ to be the light of her life, and he hoped that she felt the same.

With his newfound passion beating in his heart, Robin became so exhausted and flustered that he passed out, and fell asleep for the rest of the night.

Morning sunlight shone through the front flap of the tent as Robin awoke to find that Cordelia was still hugging him as though he was a pillow. He sat there in a quiet breakdown before Cordelia slowly moved her head.

She raised her head up and her one eye that was not concealed by her hair was focused on Robin, and remained on him for a minute before she closed it. Her head lowered back down onto Robin's shoulder. "Five more minutes…" She mumbled while Robin almost breathed a sigh of relief.

Half an hour later, Robin and Cordelia had packed up the tent and mounted Cordelia's pegasus. Only when they had spent five minutes in the morning sky did Robin build up the courage to speak.

"Do you want to talk about what happened this morning?" His voice cracked as he asked.

"What is there to talk about?" Cordelia turned around and smiled at him while she spoke.

Robin's question had been answered: Cordelia viewed the morning as nothing out of the ordinary. His cover had not been blown, and hopefully, he could keep it up. If the following days when his way, he might even be able to tell Cordelia how he really felt.


	4. C Act I: Child of Chaos Part IV

Cordelia's Tale: Act I

Child of Chaos

Part IV

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Stardust Speedway Past_ from _Sonic CD_ when you see one * mark.

* * *

The following days and months had not gone Cordelia's way in any shape or form. Yes, Gangrel was dead. Yes, the war with Plegia had been ended with minor casualties to Ylisse. Sure, Chrom had been welcomed by the citizens and heralded as a champion of peace.

But Chrom still did not love her. Every morning for the last few months she would say hello to Robin, who would always be scribbling something into that journal of his, then spend the rest of her time doing chores around the camp to get Chrom's attention. From organizing weapons, to quadruple-checking the inventory of the convoy, to sorting the contents of every Shepherds' tent (especially Chrom's).

Robin would help her out when he had an opening, but she felt guilty having to burden him with her tasks. She should be the only one doing them, as she should be the only one in Chrom's eyes; her fatigue be damned.

While this was happening, Robin was falling further and further into the abyss that was called 'love.' Every minute he spent with Cordelia was one he regretted, as it just made him wish she was his.

His journal was now full of all sorts of romantic quotes and statements, which Sumia discovered as she sat opposite Robin in the dining hall. She had originally called him over to discuss how unraveled Cordelia looked, and how she had barely any free time, but Robin's journal had caught her attention.

"Day 115: every day I spend without Cordelia is one I wished I never experienced. Her smile warms my heart just from the sight. Her voice chills my nerves like a mother's kiss." Sumia read the words from the journal aloud in a quiet voice as Robin slumped his head into his arms.

"I need serious help." Robin's voice was muffled through his arms. If Sumia and Gaius could see his face, they would spot how red it was.

"No, you need Cordelia and she needs you." Sumia closed the journal up and handed it back to Robin. He quickly stuffed it back into his coat and noticed that Gaius was standing behind Sumia and looking at him.

"How much did you hear?" Robin spoke in an overly defensive tone as he glared at Gaius. Gaius was probably laughing to himself at how sad Robin was, and how he'll never get Cordelia to love him. "Go on! Do what you do best and insult me!" He snapped and began to scream at Gaius.

"Robin!" Sumia stood up and glared at him. "You can't do that!" Now, she expected Robin and Gaius to start arguing like children.

Instead, Gaius just sat down and gave Robin a sad look.

"I'm not here to yell at you." Gaius stared into Robin's enraged eyes and remembered what Sumia had taught him over the months. "I just want to help you, because I feel bad for you."

Robin's hands trembled as he seated himself. His vision blurred and his eyes watered as he looked at Gaius.

"I'm… I'm sorry. There's no excuse for what I did and I understand if you don't want to be around me." Robin slumped forward in his seat.

"No, I do want to be around you. You're a good friend, and you're just stressed." Gaius leaned forward. Sumia was grinning from ear-to-ear. "Tell you what. Chrom's probably still up. You should go get more help from him, then catch some rest."

"Y-you're right…" Robin slowly got to his trembling feet and exited the mess tent. "Thank you both." His voice cracked as he exited.

Sumia stared in disbelief at Gaius and looked to the exit, then back to Gaius. This continued for a few seconds. She couldn't believe what she had just seen.

"That was great!" Sumia beamed as she wrapped her arms around Gaius. "I'm so proud of you!"

"I owe it all to the woman of my dreams." Gaius smiled back as he kissed Sumia on the cheek.

"Hey, Chrom?" Robin spoke as he stood in front of Chrom's tent amidst the chilly night air. The hustle and bustle of the Shepherds' camp barraged his thoughts to the point where he couldn't hear himself speak. "Chrom, I need to talk to you."

The sound of someone giggling from inside the tent echoed to the outside.

"Chrom, I think someone's outside…" Olivia's voice softly ringed from the tent amidst Chrom's giggling.

"Hang on, I have an idea. Follow my lead." A few seconds of silence passed before Chrom spoke again. "Come in!"

Robin entered the tent to see Chrom standing in the center, bare-chested and makeup smeared on his face. Olivia's pink ponytail jutted out from behind his head and bobbed up and down.

"Hello, Chrom." Robin waved as he walked to his left to sit down in a chair and noticed that Chrom turned so that the front of his body was facing him at all times. "And hello, Olivia."

"Hi, Robi-" Olivia spoke from behind Robin before she let out a quiet yelp and stopped talking.

"So may I ask what you two were doing?" Robin asked as Chrom stepped to the side to reveal that Olivia was indeed standing behind him. Robin noticed that his limp from the assassination was now gone, which meant that his knee had healed.

"We were uh… We were playing a game of tag and my shirt fell off. Nothing lascivious here to report." Chrom's cheeks were bright red and Robin remembered that Chrom was a terrible liar. Olivia pressed her hands together and squealed before she revealed the truth.

"We were cuddling, okay?" She shut her eyes and appeared distressed while she talked. "There's no beating around the bush and-"

"Alright, alright." Robin held his hands up and watched as Chrom and Olivia calmed down. It seemed that every member of the Shepherds had found someone _except_ for Robin and Cordelia. "Far be it from me to judge you for what you do behind closed doors."

"Thank you for understanding." Chrom smiled as he clasped Olivia's hand. "Now do you need something?"

"It's about Cordelia." The instant her name was mentioned, Chrom sighed and slumped in his chair opposite Robin's. "She's getting worse."

"Well then help her get better. You're already madly in love with her. Why can't you just tell her your feelings?" Chrom looked directly at Robin with tired eyes, and it was obvious that this was the final straw for Chrom on this issue.

"Because what if she says no?" Robin simply couldn't handle if she said no. He _needed_ her, plain and simple, and if she said no…

That was something Robin didn't want to consider.

"But what if you spend the rest of your life too afraid to ask out a woman who's killing herself trying to get my attention!" Chrom stood up and used his hands to support him on the desk as he leaned forward. "When really, I have absolutely no desire to be with her as a lover!" He was so frustrated with Robin's inability to make his feelings known that the last straw was now thoroughly destroyed.

"Then why is it so damn hard for you to tell her that?" Robin matched Chrom's pose and began screaming in his face. His blood was boiling.

"Oh, so you just want to come in while she's emotionally frail, that way you _know_ she won't reject you while you sweep her off her feet!" Chrom began yelling as well. "When deep down, Robin, you're afraid of _uncertainty_. You're so afraid of the unknown that you'd risk Cordelia harming herself from exhaustion so that you don't have to experience an uncertainty!"

"Alright, enough!" Olivia threw herself in between the two and held her hands out in both directions. "If you two argue so much about Cordelia, then why don't you involve her in your childish little debates?"

"No!" Robin and Chrom both spoke and looked at Olivia with a stern glance as she stared back.

"Well, then I'll go tell her so you can stop fighting!" Olivia began stomping towards the door with her hands at her side before Chrom stood in her path. "Chrom, let me go." She stepped to the side and Chrom matched her speed. She tried to sidestep again but Chrom continued to block her path. "Let me go!"

"Olivia, we need to calm down and think about this. We're all worked up and he can't do anything foolish now, can we?" Chrom held out his hands and motioned for Olivia to embrace him.

"No, but…" Olivia threw up her arms and went back to where she stood without hugging Chrom, much to his disappointment.

"Listen, Robin. I'm sorry for snapping at you." Chrom sat back down in his chair with a heartfelt look in his eyes. "We need to figure out a solution."

"I'm sorry as well, and I agree that we need an answer." Robin slumped forward back into his seat and had an apathetic look in his eyes. "I don't see a winning move, however."

"Tell you what. Tomorrow night, to celebrate my leg recovering, I'm commissioning some artists to draw a poster of Olivia and me in the front entrance of the castle. So in the morning, you tell Cordelia that I'm having the photo with the girl of my choosing, and hint that it's her." Chrom stood up and paced back and forth in the tent.

"So you want me to lie to her?" Robin gave him a stern look. He would not condone lying to Cordelia in any way, shape or form.

"It's no different than how you refuse to tell her your feelings." Chrom shrugged and looked as though he would launch into another argument before Olivia came up behind him and massaged his shoulders. "So tomorrow, you'll go out to town with her, buy her some expensive clothes and flowers, then right before you enter the castle, surprise her with your true feelings."

Robin leaned back and tossed the idea around in his mind for a bit. There was that uncertainty of whether or not Cordelia would love him in return, but at this point, he had gotten desperate.

"Why do you need all these elaborate ideas when you could just walk right up to her and ask her if she loves you?" Olivia sighed and looked to the side.

"Hey, if I bought you a fancy dress, flowers, and a night out on the town, would you say yes if I asked if you loved me?" Chrom turned his head to look at her while she continued to hold his shoulders.

"I'd care more about someone's personality than if they bought me objects." Olivia took her hands off of Chrom's shoulders and pressed them to her face. "That's just setting yourself up for a disastrous relationship if you marry based on wealth alone."

"Bah. Ignore her and go tell Cordelia, okay?" Chrom tossed a small sack of gold to Robin, who caught it in midair. "This should cover the expenses. Goodnight." Chrom held Olivia's hand and waved as Robin exited the tent.

"You two have a safe night, alright?" Robin joked as he exited the tent and was once again standing in the chilly air of the campgrounds. There was only one place Cordelia could be in at this hour, and Robin began to walk towards it with his hands feeling his journal and sack of gold in his pockets.

By the time he entered the weapons tent, Cordelia had already sorted most of the contents of the tent by alphabetical order and was just finishing up when she noticed the familiar purple color of Robin's cloak enter. "Hello, Cordelia." He spoke in a meek tone as he just stood in the entrance with his hands in his pockets.

"Hello, Robin." Cordelia stood upright and smiled at him as he shuffled his feet closer. "I just finished up here, so there's nothing you can really help wi-"

"I just spoke to Chrom about you." Robin blurted out then immediately regretted it.

Cordelia stopped talking for a minute as her eyebrows raised.

"Go on…" She was desperate to know more.

"He's having an uh… A commission done of him and a lucky lady, tomorrow, and…" Robin's voice trailed off as he noticed the desire burning in Cordelia's eyes.

His gut twisted and turned as he struggled to get the words out. He felt plain sick just by lying to her like this. "He hinted that it would be you if you dressed for the occasion."

At first, Cordelia just stood there with a blank look in her eyes. Her hands began to tremble as Robin continued to speak. "I have some gold here; enough to buy you a dress and some flowers, so you can look nice for the-"

Robin stopped speaking when he noticed that Cordelia's eyes were about as wide the coins he was going to spend on her.

She sprinted towards Robin, threw her hands over him, and began enthusiastically yelling into his shoulder.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you ever so much!" She almost cried tears of joy, and Robin struggled to stay upright. Cordelia's tight grip on him helped keep his balance.

"You're welcome, and you're also choking me." Robin's voice came out constrained as Cordelia took a step back, but despite his breathing problem, Robin wished she stayed in that embrace for an hour more.

Without saying a word, Cordelia placed her lips to the side of Robin's cheek as a way to show gratitude, and by the time she pulled her head away, both of their faces were bright red.

Cordelia's mind was already racing as she paced around tent. All she could think of was extra ways to make Chrom fall for her and get that portrait of them together hanging above their fireplace while they told stories to their six children.

"If I have to stay up all night and sort everything in the camp, then he'll have to notice this time…" She mumbled but unfortunately was still heard by Robin.

"Oh, come on. You can't stay up all night again. You need your full energy for tomorrow night, okay?" Robin had spent the last minute losing his composure over the elegant texture of Cordelia's lips and how he wished they were there to greet him with a kiss every morning.

"Alright, alright. I hear you." Cordelia followed Robin out of the tent and walked with him to her own. She entered the tent and waved to him. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Cordelia," Robin spoke as he waved and walked to his own tent, and back to his own, painful dreams about Cordelia.

The part that hurt him the most was that come twenty-four hours, those dreams would either be a reality or a broken fantasy.

Cordelia poked her head out of her tent, scanned to see if Robin was gone, then went to the tent that contained everyone's armor. Chrom's love came before her rest, and she was confident that she could stomach a full night of work.

" _I wouldn't be perfect enough for Chrom's love if I rested on my laurels now, would I?_ " She thought as she entered the tent.

* * *

The very next morning, Robin stood outside Cordelia's tent while fog rolled around the air. " _Odd. Normally, she's up by now…_ " Robin eventually swallowed his pride and stuck his head into her tent for only a moment, he told himself.

When he discovered that she was not in her bed, his mind began to race as he walked towards the weapons tent. " _She's not stubborn enough to stay up all night. She's just up early._ " He told himself out of desperation.

His feet splashed through the morning dew of the grass as he entered the weapons tent to find that the piles of spears had been sorted overnight. " _Oh, gods. There's no way…_ " He stumbled out of the weapons tent and towards the armory.

His fears were realized when he entered the tent and saw Cordelia sitting on the ground with her legs crisscrossed, and Sully's plate of armor on her lap. She held a cloth in one hand and was slowly dragging it along the armor.

"Oh, Robin! You're here!" She put the breastplate at her side and slowly got to her feet. Her legs were trembling, her shoulders were drooping, and her eyes were bloodshot. "Look at all the chores I did!" Her voice trailed on and sounded like she was going to pass out. "Aren't you… Aren't you proud of me?" Cordelia noticed the glare in Robin's eyes as he pressed the palm of his hand to his head.

"What did I ask you to do last night?" His voice was calm but his wit was at its end.

"Go to sleep," Cordelia responded as her head drooped to the left.

"And what did you do instead?" The frustration in his tone was almost palpable.

"Stay up all night?" She responded again. "Look, Robin, you have no reason to be mad at me. I'm an adult and can make decisions for myself."

"Not when those decisions harm you!" Robin pulled his hands down to his side and began to yell. "What are you trying to accomplish by being a perfectionist?"

"Well, I… I um…" Her throat felt as though it was closing on itself and she struggled to a certain name. "Chrom…"

"I've spoken to Chrom about this, and he's noticed! He's noticed and he's worried that you're going to have a heart attack from exhaustion!" Robin threw his hands up in the air while his cheeks began to burn.

Cordelia wanted to burst into tears from what she had just heard. All of her struggles had done nothing but alienated Chrom from her.

"When you do everything around the camp to the highest caliber, then I'm sorry, but that's selfish. You're taking all the recognition around the camp for yourself, but it's not getting you what you want."

"I… I didn't mean to be selfish." Cordelia shuffled her feet forward and wrapped her arms around Robin. She began to wail into his shoulders.

"I know, but sometimes we do things without realizing them." He noticed that Cordelia's weeping was increasing. "I'm sorry for losing my temper with you. It's just…"

"No, don't apologize. I'm the one who's at fault here." Cordelia couldn't believe that all this time, she had been stealing the recognition around the camp from people who deserved it just as much as she did.

"When you exhaust yourself over this, it makes the people around the camp worry. I worry about you, Sumia worries about you, and Chrom worries about you too." Robin held her in an embrace and spoke in a softer tone.

"So… What should I do?"

"You need to accept that you don't have to constantly do your best to get us to accept you for who you are. When the weapons tent needs sorted, you should do it only if it's your turn, and even then get some help. Not just from me, but from other people around the camp. You're part of a team, not a one-man army." Robin watched as she took a step back and wiped her exhausted, bloodshot eyes.

"I-I'll try. Thank you." She sounded even more exhausted than before. "If you want to cancel our plans for tonight, I'd understand…"

"What? No, no. We're still on for tonight, which is why you need to get some rest. Surely, you want to look your best when you tell Chrom your feelings tonight, right?" Robin smiled at her as she smiled back.

"You're the best friend I could ask for." She spoke as she hugged Robin and began walking towards her tent. As she undressed and laid on her bed, she felt different.

She felt at ease; with herself and her abilities. She felt that the people whose opinions mattered the most to her already accepted her for who she was.

Especially Robin.

* * *

*The bustling city streets of Ylisstol were a nice contrast from the rather serene camp of the Shepherds as Robin and Cordelia entered from the main gate and into the streets. Sumia and Gaius had gone with them but disappeared into a crowd to go find their scamming honey merchant.

The crescent moon in the sky made the hanging lights around each building stand out more as Cordelia followed behind Robin through the crowds of people. The smell of fresh bread wafted out of a nearby bakery and tickled their nostrils before they entered a boutique.

Various fancy dresses draped in cloth were set up on pedestals, and Robin walked by most of them with Cordelia. Whereas Cordelia was judging them based on what fabric they were constructed with, Robin judged them based on how much of a dent they would make in his budget.

"How about this one?" Robin pointed a white dress with a red drape hanging on the front.

"No…" Red was never Cordelia's favorite color, which she and her friends considered ironic.

Robin continued to sort through the dresses until his eyes focused on one in particular. Cordelia's attention was drawn to it as well as she leaned forward to inspect it.

It was a white dress with a low cut in the back, and the bottom section of the dress was comprised of two parts. The first part likely went to the wearer's knees, and the second part went farther down with a transparent material. The shoulders of the dress puffed out with a golden rim and a feathered edge.

The part that sold Cordelia was the pale-blue cloth tied around the waist. Her favorite color had always been that shade of blue, and it seemed that this dress was left by Naga herself so that Cordelia may wear it.

The price, however, made Robin raise his eyes, as the dress itself costed about two-thirds of their budget. "Can we please get this one?" Cordelia clasped her hands together and looked directly into Robin's eyes with a begging stare.

"Ehhhhhh… Does it really mean enough to cost this?" Robin held up the price tag in front of Cordelia's face. She looked at the tag for a good while before dropping it and staring at the dress.

"Yes. It's perfect."

Cordelia walked to the front counter of the store, where a very disinterested employee sat, and pointed to the dress she wanted. "Do you have a changing room where I can try that dress?"

The clerk looked at her, then to the dress in a slow turn of her head.

"One second, miss." She slowly got to her feet, walked to the side of the store where a curtain was and pulled the cloth back to reveal multiple copies of each dress on coathangers. She made her way to the section that had the dresses Cordelia wanted, glanced at Cordelia to determine that she was a tall size, then pulled down the dress Cordelia wanted.

"Thank you so much." Cordelia smiled and nodded as she took the dress and was directed towards a changing room. She entered the room, leaving Robin to lean against the front desk on his elbow.

"She's a nice wife." The clerk spoke as she sat back down and caused Robin's mind to trip up.

"What? Oh, no we're just friends. Just friends…" Robin's face turned beet-red.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, buddy." The clerk went back to reading their book while Robin waited for Cordelia.

The door creaked open and out stepped Cordelia, wearing the dress and causing Robin's heartbeat to accelerate. Her figure perfectly complimented the slender build of the dress, and her elegant legs were visible from the bottom of the dress. Her red and white dress that she wore for casual situations was in her hands.

"How do I look?" She asked as she did a quick twirl.

" _Like a goddess…_ You look great!" Robin smiled back to boost her confidence.

Robin handed the woman the number of coins the dress costed then left the store with Cordelia in tow.

"Thanks for doing business!" The clerk waved as the two left, then remembered just how cute young love was. Doubly so if they were in denial of their love.

Once Robin and Cordelia walked back onto the city streets, they began to make their way to a floral shop. Robin noticed that the nearby crowd had moved away once they noticed Cordelia's dress, seemingly out of respect for her attire.

The cynical side of Robin suspected that the crowd jumped to the same conclusion as the boutique clerk.

Robin also noticed that Cordelia had grabbed his hand and held it as she walked behind him, seemingly for an emotional booster.

A few minutes passed before they entered their second-to-last stop: a floral shop. Once they entered the shop, Cordelia quickly decided on some pale-blue roses and purchased them using the last of their budget.

With the floral bouquet in one hand and Robin's hand in the other, Cordelia felt her confidence swell with every step she took towards the Ylissean Castle, which seemed to touch the night sky with its magnificence.

Sumia and Gaius seemed to be waiting for them in the front garden of the castle, which was illuminated with candles.

"Oh, Cordelia! You look amazing!" Sumia was blown away by Cordelia's beauty and hugged her. While she embraced her friend, Sumia turned her head to look at Robin and winked at him.

"Knock 'em dead, Rob," Gaius whispered into Robin's ear as Sumia pulled away from the hug. "Now if you'll excuse Sumia and me, we have to go to the back alleys to uh…" Gaius gripped Sumia's hand and the other two jars of honey the merchant gave him with the other. "Eat our… Honey…"

Gaius and Sumia quickly ran off whilst giggling to themselves, leaving Robin and Cordelia to surmount the front staircase to the castle.

Once they reached the top step, Cordelia stopped and tugged on Robin's hand to get him to stop. He turned to face her.

"Listen, Robin. This night has felt like something out of my wildest dreams, and thank you for making it a reality." Moonlight bounced off her hair and made Robin's heartbeat at an increasing speed. This was his moment. Now was his chance to make his feelings known.

"Cordelia, before you go, there's something I need to…" His stomach started to twist and turn again. "Something I need to…" It should've been so simple. " _Something I need to ask: do you love me?_ " Nine easy words that should flow from his tongue like wine and seduce Cordelia.

But the wine refused to flow. Instead, there was a parched feeling in his throat as he coughed. He couldn't do it; Cordelia had called him her best friend earlier. She had no romantic feelings for him whatsoever.

"What is it, Robin?" Cordelia raised her eyebrow.

"There's something I need to tell you: you'll do great." Robin wanted to vomit the instant he finished his sentence and leaned up against the wall. Cordelia smiled at him in blissful ignorance as she walked into the castle.

Cordelia felt the glow from the castle interior wash over her skin as she walked into the grand hall. A large chandelier hanged from the ceiling above and rows of marble pillars lined the sides of the room as she continued to walk down the red carpet.

Towards the end of the room was a chair with its back facing Cordelia, and she could see a painter with their easel facing the chair.

Cordelia continued to walk towards the chair and she heard Chrom's distinctive voice growing louder and louder.

"Chrom? Where are you?" Her voice echoed through the area, and the painter froze as he noticed her.

"Don't. Move." Chrom whispered, but his voice was so familiar to Cordelia that she was able to hear it. Eventually, she walked past the chair and turned around to see Chrom sitting in it.

Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed that Olivia was wearing an elegant dress and sitting on Chrom's lap, with his arms around her waist.

"Oh, gods…" Cordelia took a few steps back as her knees trembled. Chrom and Olivia looked incredibly distressed as they tried to remain as motionless as possible. Chrom's feelings wouldn't belong to Cordelia. They never were going to in the first place.

He only had eyes for Olivia, not Cordelia.

Cordelia dropped her flowers and sprinted towards the exit with tears in her eyes. The screams of her comrades laughing at her taunted her with every second.

"Little lady genius couldn't get her knight in shining armor!"

"Poor little Cordy; always the bridesmaid and never the bride!"

"Cordelia, I'm sorry! Please wait!" Chrom's voice echoed through the halls and haunted her ears as she stepped outside.

Robin noticed the flustered look in her eyes and how she looked as though she was going to faint at any moment.

Cordelia's heartbeat accelerated, her breathing rate continued to climb, and her tears continued to flow.

"Cordelia, did Chrom...?" Robin pieced together exactly what happened because he knew that it was going to. This is what he wanted, and there was nobody to blame for it besides himself. "Okay, Focus. Focus. On. Me. Deep breaths. Deep breath-"

Cordelia's eyes shut and she fell forward into Robin's arms. Her heart continued to beat and her chest rose and fell rhythmically, so she was still alive and breathing. "Gaius? Sumia? Anyone?" Robin called in distress out as he held Cordelia and scanned the area. Fortunately, Gaius and Sumia were scrambling up the stairs with honey smeared on their faces.

"Oh, this is bad. We need to get her back to camp." Sumia spoke in a flustered tone as she helped Robin turn Cordelia around, then watched as he lifted her into his arms.

As they walked down the city streets, even more people spread themselves away so as to give Robin a wide berth as he held Cordelia in his arms. Five minutes of silent walking passed before she slowly opened her eyes.

"T-thank you…" Her raspy voice croaked before she shut her eyes again.

Once Robin, Sumia and Gaius returned to the camp, they made a beeline for Cordelia's tent. Robin placed Cordelia in Sumia's arms then followed her into the tent. Sumia placed Cordelia on her bed while Robin stuffed his trembling hands into his pockets, then placed his hand on her nightstand.

"Robin, can you leave so I can help Cordelia out of her dress?" Sumia turned around and asked.

"O-okay." Robin's face brightened as he removed his hand from the nightstand.

What Robin didn't realize was that he had grabbed the closest thing in his pocket while he was fretting about Cordelia, and had placed it on the nightstand in his absence of thought.

This object was his journal.


	5. C Act I: Child of Chaos Part V

Cordelia's Tale: Act I

Child of Chaos

Part V

Author's note: I recommend listening to the _Bouncing_ _Boss Battle_ from _Kirby Triple Deluxe_ when you see one * mark.

* * *

By the time Cordelia awoke in her bed, she was already in tears.

" _How could I have been so blind?_ " Her thoughts were awash with despair as she clutched her pillow and sobbed. In her efforts to get Chrom's attention, she had alienated him with her overbearing work ethic and drove him into the arms of another woman.

She had nobody. The horse she had bet on was now lying face-down at the midpoint of the race while everyone else was at the end. She was confident that not even Robin loved her, as he probably only spent time with her out of pity while he spent his affectionate hours with a woman much better than her.

As Cordelia dressed in her standard red-and-white uniform, she glanced at the elegant dress she wore last night as it laid on the floor. She averted her eyes from the feelings of embarrassment it gave her.

Her eyes drifted over to a peculiar book that stood atop her nightstand, and she quickly remembered it was the journal Robin had been jotting notes into whenever he saw her. " _It's probably full of insults about me…_ " She thought as she slumped onto her bed with her head propped up on her hands.

Her curiosity was burning inside her chest as she stared at the grey book. Was it really full of insults? What could be going on inside his head? Should she invade Robin's privacy for peace of mind, or continue her mental breakdown at the sake of Robin's secret book?

Cordelia's hand reached towards the book and trembled as it hovered over the journal. She slowly lowered her hand; sweat trickled down her head as her vision blurred. She couldn't do this. It was a basic invasion of privacy that Cordelia would never wish upon herself.

She grabbed the journal, averted her eyes, and opened it as she rested her hand on her lap. With a tremendous amount of force, Cordelia's eyes drifted over until they focused on the neat handwriting inside Robin's journal. Her curiosity knew no bounds.

" _Day 1: Gaius and Sumia told me to use this journal to take notes on Cordelia in case I do end up falling for her. Guess I should start tomorrow after we spend some more time._ " Cordelia read the journal.

Her thoughts were confirmed; Robin only viewed her as a friend. " _Day 5: Cordelia's favorite food is steak, and she clearly needs some warming up to social encounters. Every time she sees me waiting outside her tent, she jumps in surprise and takes a few seconds to adjust herself. What's strange is that I find myself noticing every small gesture and facet of her personality. This must be what it's like to be good friends with a member of the opposite sex._ "

Cordelia skipped a few bunches of pages and caught a curious paragraph. _"Day 24: we went camping yesterday and Cordelia huddled next to me at night. At first, I protested, but she insisted on sleeping next to me. Then, when she was fast asleep, she… she held me in an embrace. It was then that I realized… I love her. All that time I spent with her, obsessing over every breath she took, I thought that meant we were really good friends._ "

Tears trickled from her eyes she continued reading. Robin did indeed love her. She couldn't believe it. " _I wish for her to be at my every side when I am roused from my slumber. Her smile is perfection itself. Her hands are that of a goddess._ "

Her fingers quaked and jittered as she turned the pages. " _Day 49: whenever I eat meals with Cordelia, I fight the urge to weep. If only her eyes were on me instead of Chrom, who is so ungrateful of Cordelia's love. A woman like her only comes once in a millennia._ "

Footsteps resounded from the outside, but Cordelia didn't care. " _Day 116: I… I yelled at Cordelia today. She's almost killed herself from exhaustion, and she almost ruined her night tonight. What I said is true, but I still feel guilty. This heartache will end tonight when I tell her my feelings, and hopefully, she'll say yes._ "

Cordelia set the book down at her side and cradled her head in her hands. For months, Robin had been pining for her. His every thought had been devoted towards her, his every action, his every word; all focused on her. She felt incredibly moved, and her eyes started to water again.

Her stomach twisted and turned on itself as she stared at the front desk of the door. Her thoughts devolved into a flurry of screams, most of them about how she had treated Robin the way Chrom treated her. The other screams were asking her what to do now.

She couldn't turn Robin down. She enjoyed his presence too much to do that. But she didn't want to rush headlong into 'love' without seeing where they would be as a couple.

"Cordelia?" Robin's voice echoed from outside her tent. "Are you okay?" Her hands trembled.

She placed the journal in her hands and looked at the front flap of her tent. She needed to talk to Robin about this, and they could work out something from there. "Come in, Robin." She spoke in a soft, tired tone. Robin entered the tent and smiled as he noticed her.

"Ah, good. You look like you're holding up alrig-" Robin's eyes went from her face to the book at her lap. "Is that… Oh, gods, you... you read it, didn't you?" His voice trembled as he backed up. His cheeks were flush and his eyes nervously darted from place to place.

"Robin, please sit down. We need to talk about this and see if we can really be together. I'm willing to give this a shot." Cordelia patted the space at her side and smiled, but noticed that Robin's shoulders tensed as he backed up towards the exit. "I just want to talk about our feelings."

Again, Robin was faced with an uncertainty. Should he open up to Cordelia and reveal his feelings, only for the chance of her to tell her friends and mock him? Or should he take the more daring approach?

*With a blink of an eye, Robin sprinted out of the tent and away. He sprinted as fast as he could away from the camp while his feet kicked up a thin layer of snow behind him.

His heart raced as he jumped to conclusions. If Cordelia was to give him a chance, she surely was only doing it out of pity, and would leave him within a week after she made him 'feel better'. Then, he would become known as the hopeless romantic who wasn't good enough for the other hopeless romantic.

After five minutes of running, Robin emerged into a clearing of trees blanketed with a thin covering of snow. He bent over to catch his breath and examined the path he had emerged from. He could never show his face around the camp. He would need to forge a new identity, relocate himself to Plegia, and-

The sound of footsteps growing alarmingly closer made his ears perk up. His anxiety climbed and climbed in tandem with the unknown footsteps approaching. "Robin! I just want to talk!" Cordelia sprinted from the clearing with her eyes focused solely on Robin. The morning sunlight bounced off her hair and made Robin squint his eyes before he yelled.

"Ah!" Robin let out a scream of panic and tore off in the opposite direction into a forest of white-tipped trees. His entire chest felt as though it had caught flame as he weaved through the tall trees, but Cordelia's footsteps still slammed down behind him, like a pack of hounds chasing an escaped criminal.

"Just stop running and we can talk about what was in your journal!" Cordelia yelled as she dodged and weaved between the trees. In the distance, she could see Robin's purple cloak waving in the breeze as he continued to run.

She cursed her poor running speed, then noticed that Robin was beginning to slow down. He took a hard left into a long string of trees and out of Cordelia's sight. Robin struggled to catch his breath as he dodged and weaved through even more trees. He looked behind and noticed that Cordelia was gone from his field of view.

Tears flowed from his eyes to his hands as he sat down behind a sturdy oak. He continued to sit and catch his breath for a good minute until he heard a twig snap behind him. He looked up and saw Cordelia leaning over him.

She winced as she leaned forward, and Robin quickly noticed the broken twig underneath her left boot. "Damnit!" She cursed and lunged at Robin before he scrambled to his feet and sprinted away.

Snow began to fill Robin's boots as he continued running and noticed that Cordelia was mere seconds away from catching him. His focus turned to a mountain by his left, which looked close enough to reach within a few minutes. A stream cut through the middle of it, so if he were to jump over the stream at the top and break his path, Cordelia would be unable to follow him.

Taking a sharp left turn, Robin scrambled up the side of the mountain while Cordelia followed after. They both raised their knees as they climbed up the mountain to cover more distance. This continued for five minutes until Cordelia's foot slipped and she slid down a fair distance. After wiping the cold snow from her eyes, she noticed that Robin stood before a gap in the mountain where a frozen stream was.

Robin looked at the water, then down to Cordelia, who was now scrambling back up the side and quickly approaching. She wouldn't be able to catch and chew him out if he jumped the river. He took a few steps back, noticed that Cordelia was seconds away from catching him, inhaled a deep breath, and sprinted towards the gap.

Cordelia outstretched her hand and barely grasped Robin's cloak as he sailed through the air and landed on the other side of the mountain. The ice he used to jump had cracked and shattered underneath the pressure of his boots, so Cordelia had no way to reach him.

"Cordelia, I know you only consider me a friend. I don't want to hear you repeat what I already know." Robin called out as Cordelia noticed a large bank of snow higher up on his side that looked as though it was going to drop at a moment's notice. "Goodbye."

"What are you talking about? Robin, I want to be with you!" Cordelia bent over to catch her breath as she noticed Robin's wide eyes. "When I read your journal, I realized that you had affection for me! I have affection for you too! We can be together and try it out!"

"Oh, gods…" Robin planted his hand on his forehead and sighed. "You're… You're not joking?" Robin looked up for a slight bit. "You'll give me a shot?"

Cordelia nodded in a quick manner as she noticed the snowbank trembling. "Thank you!" Robin could hardly contain his excitement as he jumped up and down. "Thank you thank you thank you than-"

"Robin!" Cordelia winced as she noticed the snowbank above him was trembling. "Don't. Move."

Robin's eyes followed Cordelia's and settled on the snowbank higher up. He instinctively took a step back, and the second his foot touched the ground, the pound of sleet above trembled and began to tumble down the mountain like a rushing wave of white, powdery water.

"No!" Cordelia watched in horror as Robin was swept up and buried by the avalanche. She began to run down her side of the mountain. No matter how fast she ran, however, Robin was swept down at a faster speed. She would never be able to catch Robin on foot before he reached the bottom of the mountain in a pile of snow. Not unless she had some assistance.

She quickly pressed her index and middle fingers together to make a triangle, then pressed her fingers to her mouth. She produced a high-pitched whistling noise and scanned the area. Her friend should be here as soon as possible once the whistle was heard.

The flapping of wings and the neighing of a horse sounded behind Cordelia as she stopped running, and within a split second her pegasus had placed itself before Cordelia as it hovered in the air. She quickly climbed aboard her mount, stroked its mane, and steered it in a diagonal direction down the mountain.

Robin felt his whole body go numb as he tumbled down the mountain. Snow filled his mouth and every aspect of his clothes, while his head would occasionally peek out of the snow before being thrown back down into the darkness. "Robin! Where are you?" Cordelia's voice was barely audible amidst the rushing snow. He shot his hand up and tried to keep it upright before it was pushed back underneath the snow.

Robin's head poked out of the snow and in his panic, he saw that Cordelia had positioned her mount in the middle of his path down the mountain. Her left hand held the reigns of her pegasus and her right arm was outstretched as she faced Robin. "Jump!"

He put his feet out to stop his tumbling and began to slide down the mountain on his backside. Cordelia was approaching with every second, and he needed to time his leap.

Three, heart-pounding seconds passed before Robin bent his knees and pressed them against the slope. He leaped out of the snow and through the air into Cordelia's arms. She remained upright as she wrapped her other arm around Robin and felt the freezing cold from his body.

"I-I-I-I'm s-s-so so-o-o-orr-r-ry…" Robin's lips trembled as Cordelia noticed the snow on his face.

* * *

Without saying a word, Cordelia steered her pegasus back to the camp where she could set Robin up by a camp and discuss their feelings.

The rest of Robin and Cordelia's day had been spent warming up by a campfire while they discussed their feelings. Robin admitted to harboring affection for Cordelia, and she confirmed that those feelings were returned by her. As they sat on fallen logs in the center of the camp, other members of the Shepherds would walk by and offer them congratulations. Even Chrom stopped by and explained to Cordelia what he and Robin had been discussing, and how Robin did everything in the interest of Cordelia's feelings.

She pointed out that maybe she didn't have to be lead on with a false hope of getting a picture with Chrom, but realized that at the end of the day, she had wound up with someone who loved her.

Not love for what she could do, or for her looks. Loved her for who she was.

Occasionally, they would get up to grab something, be it a meal or some other object, but they would always return to the campfire for the rest of the day.

Robin had asked where they would go from here, and Cordelia simply responded by planting a kiss on his lips.

By now, the other members had retired to their tents for the night. Robin had fallen asleep on Cordelia's shoulder as the crackling flame flew up to the night sky and the stars above.

Cordelia yawned as she rested her head atop Robin's and debated dragging him to her tent before a glowing light caught her eye.

Sitting on the logs around the campfire were the golden, ghostly images of her comrades, but instead of looking displeased, they smiled.

Deaca, Lalap, Tracia, Lorfina, all of them. They sat and beamed from ear to ear at Cordelia. She continued to sit and basked in their smiles, which washed over her like a calming wave, then watched as they slowly disappeared. One by one, they waved as they vanished, leaving Cordelia and her slumbering partner by themselves.

For the first time in a long while, Cordelia heard silence. Not the screams of her fallen allies, or the mockings of her inner thoughts. She heard only the crickets chirping, the campfire crackling, and the snores of Robin as he continued to slumber on her shoulder.


	6. C Act I: Child of Chaos Part VI

Cordelia's Tale: Act I

Child of Chaos

Part VI

Author's note: I recommend listening to _The Maker's Ruin_ from _Final Fantast XIV_ when you see one * mark.

* * *

With an anticipating breath, Robin poked his head into the meeting room of the Ylissean Castle and noticed that he was not the only person Chrom had summoned to this meeting. Both Flavia and Basilio, the khans of Regna Ferox, sat in their own chairs around the wooden, circular table adorned with maps and various statistics about the Ylissean military.

"Ah, good. You're here." With noticeable sags in his eyes, Chrom stood before a large chalkboard that had the continent of Valm drawn on it. Two years had passed since Gangrel had been killed, but the damage of the Mad King's War had left its mark on Chrom. Sometimes, Robin would come to work and find him asleep on his desk, mumbling Emmeryn's name as he tossed and turned.

"Hey! How's my favorite tactician doing?" Basilio eagerly got out of his seat and shook Robin's hand with enough strength to break a boulder. Robin's shoulder slightly ached as he shook his hand back.

"Good, good. How are you doing?" Robin looked up at the Khan's eye-level and responded.

"Eh, foreign warships at our ports have broken our morale, but otherwise we've felt pretty good," Flavia answered on Basilio's half. "Chrom, may I ask how Olivia's is doing?"

"Well, she's taken up being a Myrmidon, and the preparations for our wedding are soon underway."

"Wait, why would she be taking up a combat role unless-" Robin's mind raced before Chrom interrupted him.

"Yes, now let us please discuss why we're here today." Chrom's eyes were bloodshot as he paced back and forth in the war room. "As Flavia mentioned, Valmese ships of war have attacked Port Ferox. This egregious act of war shall not fall on deaf ears, and we are going to reinforce our Feroxi allies with our troops." Chrom pointed to a drawing of the Regna Ferox; the port was circled multiple times.

"You do know that attacking Valmese troops will drag Ylisse into the war, right?" Robin seated himself and tilted his head.

"That's the part I was worried about. In the event of war, the Shepherds would spearhead the charge to Valm so we can end the conflict." Chrom sat down in his own chair and stared at the three people.

"You'll want to go after Walhart, the Conqueror. Over two years, he shaped Valm from a small country into the single kingdom of the continent through conquest and bloodshed. He's also probably the one who wants to own Ylisse as well." Flavia stood up and leaned over the table. Her blond hair fell to the side. "Folks say he's a beast on the battlefield, atop his crimson steed. Take him down, and your war is over."

"Well, that answers that." Robin rested his head on his propped-up hand. "Just take down a legendary conqueror, somehow." The despair in his voice made Chrom turn to his direction.

"We survived a war against the Mad King." Chrom shrugged his shoulders and went back to the board and began to write down the names of every Shepherd. "Before we even consider starting the conflict, we're going to have to get the Shepherds back together."

After the war with Plegia had drawn to a close, the Shepherds had disbanded and spread throughout the continent, living their own lives and minding their own business. Robin couldn't speak for the others, but Cordelia and he had been living in the guest room of the Ylissean Castle. However, they were eager to move out and had been eying up several housing ventures.

"So just get a letter of consent from all of the Shepherds and tell them to meet at the barracks?" Robin watched as Chrom handed him a sheet of paper that had a list of about half of the Shepherds, with a checkmark for 'Yes' and 'No'.

"Yes. I'll handle the other half." Chrom held up his own sheet and noticed that Robin had put a check in the yes box for his own name. "Thank you for the help."

"It warms the cold remains of my heart to see you boys taking an active role in helping us out." Basilio stood up and was booming a hearty laugh. "I really appreciate this."

"Yes, thanks for the aid." Flavia stood up and smiled as well. "Regardless, this oaf owes me a sparring match, and I'm not about to let him weasel out of it."

"You make it sound like I'm not eager to kick the snot out of you." Basilio half smiled/half sneered at her as they went to the door.

"Wait! Before you go, do you two know of any uh… open houses in Regna Ferox?" Robin quickly got out of his chair and stood before the two khans.

"What, is the guest room not good enough for you?" Chrom joked.

"Well, if you stop by my estate later on, I'm sure we can work something out." Flavia shrugged as she stood in the doorway. "I do know there's a vacant house near the mountains that's a short five-minute walk from the capital."

"Perfect." Robin began to put together a plan that he and Cordelia would enact tomorrow before they met with the rest of the Shepherds. "See you shortly, then."

"See you then." Flavia walked out the door with Basilio in tow, leaving Robin in the room with Chrom.

"Well, it's getting rather late." Robin looked at a nearby window to see snow falling amidst the night sky. "See you tomorrow."

"Tell Cordelia I said hello." Chrom smiled and waved as Robin exited the office and began to make his way through the candlelit halls of the Ylissean Castle until he reached the exit where Cordelia sat on a bench outside the castle, wearing a cloth shirt and long pants.

"You look beautiful." Robin bent down slightly to kiss her rosy lips before helping her get to her feet. They locked hands as they walked through the bustling streets of Ylisstol until they reached their frequent stop for dinner: the Staggered Dragon pub.

Once they pushed through the small crowd of patrons, they seated themselves at a booth and laid back into the back-padded cushions of the seat. A waiter quickly arrived and took their order, leaving Robin the uncomfortable duty of telling his girlfriend that she had to go back to war.

"So… I've got good news and bad news." Robin leaned forward in his seat and stared into Cordelia's eyes as he put his hands on the table. "Which do you want to hear first?"

"Bad news." Cordelia's eyebrows raised as she placed her hands on Robin's.

"Chrom's… getting the Shepherds back together so we can go to war with Valm, and we have to meet him at the barracks by tomorrow." As the words trickled from Robin's mouth, Cordelia's' warm smile that had greeted him every morning for the last two years began to shift into a frown.

"Absolutely not. We barely survived a war against Plegia, and I'm not throwing our lives into danger again." Cordelia removed her hands from Robin's and placed them at her tensed sides.

"Valm has incited a war against Regna-Ferox and we need to help them as they helped us two years ago."

"But why do _we_ have to go to war? Why can't Chrom get his military together and have the trained soldiers go to war?" She folded her arms and glared.

"Cordelia, that's selfish and you know it. We're trained soldiers with combat experience. You're the commander of the Ylissean Pegasus Knights, for Naga's sake!"

Cordelia slammed her hands down on the table and leaned over Robin. Her entire face was beet-red.

"And how do you think the commander feels, knowing that her recruits that she's taught for two years have a good chance of dying? How do you think _I_ feel, having to worry if my friends and loved ones are going to die on me?" She screamed at Robin while her heart beated out of her chest.

And then, silence. A long, heart-pounding silence ensued as Cordelia continued to stand and glare at Robin. The other bar patrons looked on in confusion as the couple remained silent for a good while until Robin spoke.

"I'll come back when you're less selfish." Without wasting a single moment, Robin responded as he angrily got to his feet and stomped out of the pub, leaving Cordelia to wallow in her own rage.

He shoved the doors of the pub open and leaned outside against the wooden wall of the building with his arms folded across his chest. The freezing temperature of the town was not enough to quell the burning rage in his chest, and he couldn't care less about the funny looks he got from people who entered and exited the pub.

" _How can she be so selfish?_ " Robin stewed. " _Innocent citizens are dying and she wants to send in foot soldiers instead of trained experts?_ " Her job as commander was to deal with the loss of life; if she couldn't handle losing recruits then she shouldn't have accepted the promotion from Phila.

Or, maybe she wasn't being selfish. Maybe Robin had been too insensitive about how she felt. Maybe he had not considered that this was a war against a whole continent feared for their military prowess and not some small nation.

Cordelia was right. War is hell, and Robin desperately wanted to avoid putting his loved ones through hell. What he was going to do was march right in there and apologize to Cordelia for acting like an insensitive tyrant.

As he opened the door to the pub, his heart jumped a bit to see that Cordelia was standing in the doorway with her hands on the door. She was just about to push it open before Robin inadvertently did it for her.

"I'm sorry. I should've been more considerate of how you felt, and I am so sorry for yelling at you." They both uttered at the same time as they stared into each other's eyes. As they both realized their timing, they both began to laugh in unison. "Wait, let's start over. You first." Cordelia's smile melted Robin's previously-enraged heart as she spoke.

"I acted like an insensitive monster to you, and I'm sorry. I should've been more considerate of how you feel. If you don't want to go to war, then we don't have to." Robin placed a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes.

"No, I'm the one who should apologize. My feelings shouldn't trump the fact that innocents are dying, and that we can end their suffering." Cordelia responded as she wrapped her arms around Robin's waist.

"I'll make sure that none of our friends die on my watch," Robin said in a quiet tone as he placed his lips on Cordelia's and held her in his arms. "And when we get back, we can settle into a house along the mountains, near a Feroxi town."

"I love you," Cordelia responded as they continued to embrace for a long while, much to the dismay of the patrons trying to enter and exit the pub.

* * *

Dreams about the countryside of Valm haunted Robin in his sleep for the last two months. Burning flames that spread across fields of crops like a blanket, destroyed ports and towns that served as haunting reminders to what life was like before the invasion.

All around him stood ruined houses and buildings that had caught flame and afflicted his sight with their intensity. He held his hands up to shield his vision, but the back of his right hand began to glow with an even brighter light.

The purple mark on his hand began to pulse with a glowing light that matched his heartbeat. He pulled his hand away to reveal a castle-sized creature floating above the buildings.

Its six wings flapped with an unnerving rhythm as it twitched its long, lizard-like body. At the front of its body was a horned head adorned with six red, glowing eyes that pinpointed Robin as though it were a panther stalking its prey.

"I hunger…" The gigantic dragon's mouth did not move, but its voice was still heard. "This world shall suffice…"

With a deep breath, Robin awoke atop the comforting familiarity that was the travel mattress he and Cordelia had brought with them. The bright-red insides of his tent were to his left and right, and directly in front of him was Cordelia, sound asleep and laying on his chest.

He slowly wrapped his hands underneath her tangled hair and around her smooth back. Robin continued to hold her in a warm embrace until she began to stir. Slowly, her red eyes began to open as she raised her head. Her vision focused on Robin, then she lowered her head back onto his chest.

Their lull of tranquility was shattered when they both remembered that today was the day Chrom was supposed to fight Walhart in a one-on-one duel.

* * *

The green fields of grass stretched into the horizon as far as Chrom's eye could see. In the distance, acting like a shading monolith against the midday sun, was a man dressed from head-to-toe in crimson armor as he rode a large steed. An ax was brandished at his side as he rode, with a group of armed troops behind him that was so large that Chrom was unable to count how many there were.

The Shepherds had received a letter shortly after they took several of Walhart's garrisons. Seeking to cut right to the point, Walhart challenged Chrom to a duel to determine who should lead the world. After several back-and-forth debates, Chrom decided that enough blood had been spilled and that he should end the conflict as soon as possible.

*"Have you come to honor our duel, Exalt Chrom of Ylisse?" Walhart barked from far away as Chrom began to slowly walk towards him. "Let me offer you a warning of the last man who tried to face me."

Walhart raised his other hand to reveal Basilio's battered and bruised corpse hanging by a chain. Chrom's hand trembled as he saw the lifeless stare in his friend's eyes, but kept his pace.

"I shall succeed where others have failed!" Chrom yelled as he drew his blade and broke into a sprint. Walhart matched his speed and accelerated his horse's stride as he threw Basilio's corpse to the side.

The rest of the Shepherds watched as Chrom's blade met Walhart's ax as they stood in the field. The Ylissean army waited further behind in anticipation for the order to attack.

Walhart's ax swung down onto Chrom like a guillotine, but he quickly deflected the blow with his sword as sparks flew from the clashing metal weapons. He slashed his sword towards the legs of Walhart's steed and watched as the blade lodged into the horse's leg.

The horse let out a frenzied neigh as it reared up against the immeasurable weight that was Walhart's armor and its saddle. It began to buck and thrash around as blood poured out of its leg. Walhart trained his hand on the side of his steed's head, but the horse continued to panic.

Chrom thrusted a quick jab of his sword towards one of the horse's other legs then retreated a few steps back. He watched as the horse's bucking increased, and Walhart was eventually knocked off his steed and onto the ground.

The Conqueror slowly got to his feet and coughed dirt from his mouth.

"I don't need a steed to best you." He growled before charging at Chrom with his ax raised. In his surprise, Chrom was unable to parry the blow and felt the ax slash across his chest, leaving a large gash and knocking him to the ground with its weight. "Impressive. You are one of the few who have survived a single blow."

Robin winced as he watched Chrom tumble to the floor. Walhart bore over the Exalt and brought his ax down towards his neck, but Chrom held his sword up to keep the weapon at bay. Unless a miracle occurred, Chrom was as good as dead.

In his panic, Robin hurriedly looked left and right for something that would help Chrom. Cordelia, who stood at his left, seemed to be doing the same, and they both realized that Olivia had disappeared from the crowd of the Shepherds. Their eyes turned back to Walhart and Chrom when they heard a feminine voice let out a scream.

A bloodied sword protruded through Walhart's chest. He looked down at the blade in disbelief and felt the strength in his hands drain as he let out a yell of pain.

As Walhart's ax was lifted up, Chrom wiped the sweat from his eyes to reveal Olivia standing behind Walhart with the hilt of her sword in her hands, and the actual blade lodged through Walhart's back. The flaps of her Swordmaster apparel breezed in the calm wind as several moments of silence passed.

"I strike you down today, not just for the people of Regna-Ferox and Ylisse, but for the people of Valm." Olivia spoke in an overly-confident voice without stuttering. "So that peace may return to these lands."

"You… You dare interrupt our duel?! You little wor-" Walhart raised his ax and attempted to take Olivia's life, but she had other plans in mind.

With a quick flash of her blade, she parried the blow and lunged towards Walhart's head with her fist. She landed a quick punch to his eyes, then grabbed one of the horns on his helmet.

In his daze, Walhart was unable to stop Olivia from ripping his helmet off his head, as there was nothing keeping it attached to the back of his head. Olivia threw the helmet to her side, tightly gripped the sheath of her blade, then thought of all the people Walhart had killed as he drove her blade through his head.

Walhart stared into Olivia's glaring eyes as his life left his body. He made one last lunge at her, then jerked his hand back. With a hearty bellow, he remained upright with his final words.

"Well fought…" He grumbled before throwing his head back. Olivia took a few steps back as adrenaline began to leave her veins and fell to her knees.

Chrom sprang to his feet and held her in an embrace as he laughed.

"I… I did it…" Olivia spoke between her rushed breaths.


	7. C Act I: Child of Chaos Part VII

Cordelia's Tale: Act I

Child of Chaos

Part VII

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Stardust Speedway Act 1_ from _Sonic Mania_ when you see one * mark.

* * *

Cordelia rapped her knuckles against the door to the office of the Queen of Ylisse and waited a few seconds as she stood in the hallways of the Ylissean Castle. The door opened to reveal Olivia standing behind it.

"Oh, hi Cordelia!" Her face beamed as she stood to the side. "Do you need something?"

"I just need someone to talk to." Cordelia waited in the doorway as Olivia beckoned her inside.

"Should I get Sumia? I know you and she are close." Olivia walked across the white rug of her office and sat behind her desk on a velvet chair.

"I already spoke to Sumia about this and I wanted to get a range of opinions." Cordelia sat down on a cushioned chair that was facing Olivia's. "What should I do if Robin asks for my hand in marriage?"

"Well, why are you doubting it?" Olivia tilted her head to her side.

"We had a fight before we went to war with Valm…" Cordelia grabbed a lock of her hair and began to repeatedly run her hands down it. She played back the events of that fight in her mind sometimes when she slept at Robin's side. Every time she debated if she did the right thing by apologizing.

"Oh, Cordelia. Every relationship involves fights. Family, friendships, marriages, the list goes on. If you aren't having a verbal scuffle every once in awhile, then you're just bottling your feelings up and being a doormat." Olivia gave a smile of reassurance. "What matters is if you can make up and move on after the argument."

"Well, we both apologized…" Cordelia responded.

"Then you did perfectly. The key to maintaining a relationship is to recognize that your partner's needs matter, and you can do that just fine." For some reason, Olivia seemed very confident when it came to romantic advice.

"If you say so." Cordelia felt slightly more confident in her relationship with Robin. "Sumia told me that I should spend the rest of my life with him. Do you think I should?"

"Well, does he make you feel happy?" Cordelia nodded her head the instant Olivia asked. "Then you should jump on this chance," Olivia answered. "The day before Chrom proposed to me, I realized that every day he spent away from home on his tours around the country was a day I spent waiting for him to come back. If you and Robin feel the same, then you've got nothing to worry about."

"Okay, I know what I must do." Cordelia motioned to stand up before she noticed that Olivia was still sitting down.

"Can I uh… C-can I ask you a question?" Beads of sweat began to fall down Olivia's face, seemingly out of nowhere. "Are you… mad at me for getting with Chrom?" She began to nervously twiddle her thumbs

"What? No, no. I'm not mad at you for getting with Chrom. If anything, you got me to be with Robin, so I can't complain." Cordelia attempted to replicate the reassuring smile that Olivia had given her.

"Okay, because lately, I've been worrying that you considered me a succubus or something." Olivia's shoulders loosened. "Speaking of your opinion of me, uh… When I stepped in and saved Chrom from Walhart, did I do the right thing?"

"Well, you saved Chrom's life and ended the war, so yes. You did the right." Cordelia sat back down.

"It's just… I wonder if Walhart had a family who cared for him." Olivia looked to the side in a regretful manner. She had wanted to become a swordmaster to help defend herself, but now she came to terms that her enemies had families too. "Plus, the Valmese Castle is refusing to surrender because I 'Violated the code of duels'."

The war with Valm was technically over, but Ylissean troops were still sieging the Valmese Castle until it surrendered.

"Walhart made the decision to kill countless innocents to further his own goals. Regardless of his supposed family, you stopped a tyrant." Cordelia remembered when Sumia had the same dilemma regarding the lives of their enemies. "Would you rather a prolonged war with Valm where your husband is safe, or a shorter war where Chrom is dead?

"You're… You're right…" Olivia decided that by taking one life, she had prevented the deaths of countless, including Chrom's. "Now what say we get Sumia and go scope out some wedding dresses?"

* * *

"How much longer until they come out?" Chrom whispered into Olivia's ear as he adjusted the cuffs of his tuxedo. The wooden texture of the pew he sat on itched his back and made him adjust up and down several times.

"Any minute now, I think," Olivia responded. She had taken to counting the number of white tiles in the ceiling of this church during the long wait for Robin and Cordelia to emerge.

The large double-doors at the end of the hallway swung open as a church organ began to play. Out from the door and down the carpeted hallway was Robin, wearing a tuxedo similar to Chrom, and Cordelia, wearing the same beautiful dress she had bought two years ago.

All of the Shepherds clapped as Robin and Cordelia walked by the pews the group sat in, arms locked and footsteps matched until they arrived at the altar.

A stained-glass window depicting the Divine Dragon, Naga, shone behind them as they faced each other on the raised platform. Robin lost his train of thought in Cordelia's eyes and didn't realize that the pastor of the church had asked him a question.

"Robin, do you take Cordelia to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health?" The pastor asked.

Robin took a few seconds to collect his thoughts.

"I do." Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would end up here, but nevertheless, he was about to marry the woman of his dreams.

"Cordelia, do you take Robin to be your lawfully wedded husband, through good times and bad?"

"I do." Her answer trickled from her mouth like a mountain stream.

"You may now kiss the bride." The pastor barely had time to finish his statement before Robin and Cordelia rushed into each others arms and passionately kissed amongst the clapping of the Shepherds.

* * *

Most couples would hope to start their honeymoon with the husband carrying his wife through the doors of their new house. Robin certainly was carrying something through the doors of his recently-purchased house among the Feroxian mountains. Instead of Cordelia, however, it was one end of a large couch.

Cordelia held the other end as he hurriedly walked through the doors of their house as she followed behind. Once she was inside the house, they quickly set the cushioned seat against the wall to the right of the entrance, then collapsed onto it. Robin gasped for breath and tried to focus on anything besides his aching hands as his head sank into the cushions next to Cordelia's.

The realization that they still had more furniture to carry began to settle in their thoughts as they both groaned.

Once they had brought in all the furniture, Cordelia stood in the living room of their new house and basked in the glow of the crackling fireplace. She sank into a blue recliner that she had hand-picked and felt her aching muscles ease up the instant her rear touched the cushion.

"So, how are you liking it?" Robin asked as he knelt down to Cordelia's side.

"It's perfect." She responded as she rested her head on .

"I'm thinking we should hang a picture up there." Robin pointed to the wall above the fireplace, which was noticeably barren among the various decorations they had purchased. "How about a portrait of a beach?"

"Speaking of, we should go walk to town and buy some things for the house." She pulled her head back and looked at Robin.

"What kind of things? We already used up almost all of Chrom's home-buying money." Robin asked.

"You know… Things…" Cordelia's face turned beet-red, but Robin assumed it was the heat from the fire.

Really, Cordelia had a heat. It just happened to be inside her chest. A burning desire she had inside that had flickered to life when Olivia mentioned that she and Chrom were trying to have a baby.

Cordelia had always dreamed she would settle down and bear a little girl. "Like scented c-candles."

"I see." Robin looked as though he was pondering where this situation was heading; Cordelia prayed that his analytical mind was unable to put two and two together. "You want to build a spa?"

"Y-yes! We're going to build a spa, and we need to buy supplies. I'll write a list of what we need and we can go downtown later tonight." Cordelia responded hastily as she got to her feet and went to a nearby desk.

* * *

*Cordelia wrapped her hands around Robin's arm as they walked through the snow-covered streets of the Feroxi town. The moon hung in the sky above and illuminated the falling snow. All around them were stores that drew their eyes to their candlelit windows. They dodged and weaved through the crowds of city folk until they entered a shop that specialized in scented candles.

Once Robin and Cordelia settled on lavender candles, they agreed to split up and handle half of the list, then to meet back at the center square of the town once they were done shopping. Cordelia kissed Robin on the cheek and walked off with half their spending gold and half the list. Robin paid for a couple lavender candles, then realized that Cordelia had torn off her half of the list without showing him it.

His next stop was to buy a large blanket, presumably for retaining heat after they were done bathing in the spa. He exited the candle shop and wished he remained inside, as the scent of the candles used for promotional purposes was heavenly.

Robin held the candles in a bag as he walked down the streets of the town and past the crowds. His feet began to ache until he found a shop with blankets adorning the windows. He stepped into the warm interior of the shop and began to peruse the wares until he settled on a large, wooly blanket with a brown exterior.

With the blanket over his shoulder and the candles in hand, Robin exited the store and continued on his way. His last stop was to acquire some mints. He had no idea why Cordelia wanted mints for a spa, but he wasn't about to second-guess her when it came to these things. Maybe she had some strange craving or some other mysterious affliction that required mints.

Cordelia, meanwhile, stood before the front desk of a rather seedy store. Mannequins were posed around in various suggestive stances, and she could smell the stench of smut from the other patrons.

"Alright miss. Here's ya fancy nightgown." The old lady behind the desk handed Cordelia a transparent, blue dress, and she hurriedly stuffed it into her bag.

"T-thank you!" She threw gold at the desk and sprinted out of the door with her reddened cheeks. If any of her friends saw her while she was in that shop, she was sure she would never hear the end of it.

At the very least, Cordelia had bought her share of the items for tonight, so she just needed to migrate to the center of the town.

By the time Cordelia had dodged and weaved her way to the center of the town, she spotted the unmistakable shade of Robin's white hair and made her way to where he was in the crowd of people. It was indeed Robin, and he quickly asked what she had purchased. "O-oh… You know… Bathrobes…" The anxiety in her chest was slowly killing her.

"You really want this spa, huh?" Robin asked as he took her hand and lead her in the direction of their house.

"Yes. Badly." Cordelia blurted out and immediately shut her mouth.

By the time they had returned home, Cordelia eagerly placed a mint in Robin's hand, snatched the items he had bought, and sprinted into their bedroom. She shut the door behind her before Robin could get in. "Just freshening up! Come in when I say so!"

"Alright?" Robin wasn't exactly sure of what was happening as he tossed the mint into his mouth, but he had no objections so far. All he knew was that Cordelia must be changing, as one of their bathrooms was connected to their bedroom.

A long five minutes passed of Robin chewing on his mint until it dissolved in his mouth before Cordelia's voice echoed from their bedroom. "Come in…" She sounded like she was having a nervous fit.

Robin emerged into his room to see the lavender candles placed around the area and giving off a heavenly aroma. His eyes were drawn from a string of candles to their bed, which had the wooly blanket placed on it.

That wasn't the only new addition to the bed, however, as Cordelia sat atop it wearing a blue nightgown. Her stomach was revealed by the transparent dress as she placed her hand directly over her groin. She looked rather bashful for someone who was essentially naked.

Without saying a word, Cordelia used her other hand to beckon Robin. Slowly, her fingers called him to her side as he removed his cloak and tossed it to the floor. He placed his hand on the side of Cordelia's head as he planted his lips on hers. The very same heat that Cordelia had been suffering from was now burning inside Robin, and it only increased in intensity as he began to unbuckle his trousers with one hand and hold Cordelia's heavenly body with the other.


	8. C Act I: Child of Chaos Part VIII

Cordelia's Tale: Act I

Child of Chaos

Part VIII

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Stardust Speedway Present (JPN/PAL)_ from _Sonic CD_ when you see one * mark

* * *

Using his elbow to open the door, Robin emerged into the living room of his house with several bags in hand. He doubled over and panted for breath while his hands ached, and he looked to his right to see Cordelia sitting on the couch with a book in her hand. She wore a white sweater that was stretched out from the protrusion in her stomach.

"Did you buy chocolate?" She asked as she set the book at her side.

"No." Robin had known about pregnancy cravings ever since Lissa gave him a crash course on the subject all those weeks ago, and Cordelia seemed to be having those cravings. Every morning and afternoon for the last few months, she would ask for chocolate, and the only reason Robin didn't humor her was because she told him earlier she didn't want to gain any weight during the pregnancy.

Given that she was on maternity leave from her job as commander, she barely got any exercise these days. She certainly wanted to, but she and Robin both decided that it was best if she got to relax for the time being. "I did buy some baby supplies."

"I can't eat baby supplies." She responded in a blunt tone as she folded her arms. "A good husband would buy me chocolate…"

"A good husband would respect his wife's best wishes when she requested to eat no sweet or treats during her pregnancy, regardless of what she says later on." Robin tossed her a glare and noticed that she was glaring right back.

"The me from six months ago didn't know how strenuous it was to have a baby inside you." She replied as she walked to the kitchen counter.

"Oh, no no no no. You are not cooking this deep into your pregnancy." Robin scrambled into the space between Cordelia and the kitchen with his arms outstretched. "Just go sit down and let me handl-"

Cordelia's face turned beet-red as she shoved Robin out of the way and glared at him from the kitchen counter.

"Let me do one gods-damned thing like the adult I am!" Robin slinked backward as Cordelia yelled. "See? Was that so bad?" Cordelia began to pour a bag of lettuce onto the cutting board before she winced. She wasn't sure why she winced, but she continued to wince.

She felt as though a vice was clamping down on her pelvis as she doubled over in pain. Unfortunately, her back was also suffering from pains. "Ow! Ow ow ow!" Cordelia struggled to breathe from the immense pain as she placed a hand on her stomach. Her suspicions were confirmed when she realized her stomach felt as hard as stone. "C-contractions…"

"Okay, stay calm." Robin quickly got to Cordelia's side and knelt down beside her.

"I am calm!" She screamed back, then continued to moan in pain. "I'm sorry! There's no excuse for my attitude but I'm very-" Another scream escaped her lips as Robin helped her to the couch.

She promptly sat down and waited for the pain to subside. When it did, she held Robin's hand and stared into his eyes. "They're getting worse… Can we please go to the hospital now?"

A simple, silent nod from Robin was more than enough of an answer for her.

* * *

Cordelia let out a scream as she tightened her grip on Robin's hand. She laid on a bed inside a hospital room with her legs arched and spread for the various nurses (including Lissa) working to deliver her baby. She had only been in the hospital for a mere two days before she had been woken up in the middle of the night by intense pain in her groin, and the doctors quickly brought her and Robin to a separate room so she could deliver.

"Keep pushing, Cordelia! You're doing great!" Lissa's reassuring voice echoed from outside Cordelia's field of vision. Robin knelt at her side and had remained there for the last eight hours during this intense process.

The pains were increasing in frequency as time went on, and after five minutes Cordelia felt as though her pelvis was screaming in agony.

"It's coming! I feel it coming!" She pushed against the pain as she threw her head back on the pillow. Her sweaty hands were clinging to Robin's for dear life as she continued to push with all her might.

"Keep! Going!" Lissa yelled again. Then, nothing but silence ensued for a few seconds.

The silence was broken by the sound of a baby crying.

When Robin had informed Sumia and Chrom that Cordelia was delivering, both families had hurriedly rushed over and were now waiting in the hospital entrance room.

"Five gold coins says it's a girl." Gaius rested his back against a chair as he held Sumia's hand.

"No way. It's gonna be a boy. I can feel it in my gut." Chrom responded back from across the room as Olivia sat next to him.

They waited in silence until Cordelia emerged from the hospital room with Robin at her side and a bundle of blankets in her arms. Upon closer inspection, the bundle of blankets was their daughter, Severa.

"She has her mother's eyes…" Sumia smiled as she placed a comforting hand on Cordelia's shoulder.

* * *

Two years had passed since Severa had come into this world and brightened up the lives of Robin and Cordelia. Every morning she would be sleeping in her crib until she awoke and cried for her mother's embrace. After breakfast, she would walk on her own and explore her surroundings with a smile on her face. Cordelia would play along, acting as though every discovery Severa made was a new one instead of something she found last month.

Robin had taken to reading stories to Severa whenever he came back from work until she fell asleep in his arms. Although as the siege on Walhart's Castle continued, Robin found that Chrom had given him more days off as the months went by. Being that his own daughter, Lucina, had been born a month before Severa, he seemed to understand how needed Robin was as a father.

Frequently, Olivia would come to Robin and Cordelia's house with Lucina so the two children could play together. They seemed to be getting along, judging by the incoherent babbling and giggling they would make as they ran around. Although one particular day, Severa had floored Cordelia and Robin by saying Lucina's name on her own.

Although, as the days went by, Robin and Cordelia both noticed that Severa seemed to get lonely when Lucina wasn't at her side. They made sure to give her all the attention they could, but it seemed she wanted more. Olivia and Chrom said that Lucina seemed to be having the same problem, and their solution was to try for another child.

Their answer had been written on the wall when Severa finished chewing her dinner and asked a question.

"Sister?"

* * *

"You made reservations, right?" Robin asked as he helped Severa into her tiny, yellow boots.

"Yes. Table for eleven at that nice restaurant downtown." Cordelia responded as she helped Morgan into her coat. Four years ago, their second child, Morgan, had been born and was loved dearly by her parents. Whereas Severa took after her mother, save for her white hair that Cordelia had styled into two pigtails, Morgan seemed to resemble her father but with Cordelia's red hair.

What mattered most to the parents was that Severa and Morgan got along very well, as most siblings do. But, through the last four years, Morgan seemed to develop slower than Severa. It took Severa a year to start walking, whereas it took Morgan a year and two months. Cordelia chalked it up to nothing more than both children being unique in their own way.

What surprised them was how fast they had grown. Severa was tall enough to reach Robin's waist, with Morgan being a head shorter than her.

"When do I get a birthday party?" Morgan asked in a high-pitched tone as she flailed her arms in her coat.

"Sweetie, your birthday is in May. That's four months away." Cordelia held the arms of her coat up and helped Morgan's arms into the sleeves. "But for now, today is your sister's birthday."

"Yeah, which means I'm better than you." Severa stuck her tongue out at her sister as Robin sighed.

" _Oh, gods-dammit…_ " He thought as Morgan's tiny face scrunched into a frown.

"Mooooooom! Severa's teasing me!" Morgan whined as she wrapped her arms around Cordelia's leg.

"Severa, that was very rude of you. Apologize to your sister." Cordelia looked down to Severa, who folded her arms. After a long pause, she spoke.

"I'm sorry that you're a stinky-face." She moved towards the door. "Now let's get going and eat _my_ birthday cake." Before she could even reach the door, Robin placed himself in front of her and refused to budge. "Dad, come on." She tried to push his legs out of the way but was unable to with her minuscule strength. "We. Have. To. Go!"

"Not until you change your attitude and apologize to your sister." Robin folded his arms and looked at her with a neutral stare. "Cordelia, can you please go cancel our reservations?"

"Right away." Cordelia walked away and sat down at a table while Morgan followed. Severa stared in disbelief as her mother grabbed a quill and began to write a letter.

"Y-you can't cancel my birthday party!" Severa stomped her feet and ran to Cordelia's side. She grabbed her mother's arm and tried to pull it down to stop her writing, but she was unable to move Cordelia.

"Shall I tell Lucina that she won't see Severa for the next few weeks?" Cordelia asked.

"What! No, don't tell her that!" The one thing Severa had been looking forward to with her party was the chance to see Lucina, Inigo, and Cynthia again.

"I guess that will have to do until our daughter apologizes," Robin spoke as Severa started to stare at the floor in shame. She walked to where Morgan stood and hugged her sister.

"I'm sorry that I said I was better than you," Severa spoke in a quiet voice as Morgan hugged her back.

"Alright, I guess we are going to dinner after all." Cordelia crumpled up her letter and stood up. "Severa, if you insult your sister again, you don't get to see your friends for a week. Understand?"

"Yes, mom." Severa walked towards the door behind Cordelia as Morgan followed. Robin opened the door for them as they all left the house and walked down the path to the nearby town.

* * *

*Severa always enjoyed taking a walk through the Feroxi town, or at least she called it that. She had no idea what its actual name was. Nonetheless, she loved staring at the various shops that sold toys and other products that she wanted to buy. Sometimes, she would drag her mother by the hand to the windows displaying the various products and beg to buy them. Cordelia simply told her to wait and use the toys she already had.

This time, as they made their way to the restaurant where Lucina and Cynthia were, Severa tried to get her father to buy her something as the moon hanged in the night sky.

"Look at that bear!" She pointed her finger at the stuffed teddy bear that had a heart in its paws. "I want it!"

"Severa, you already have three stuffed animals." Robin knelt down to her eye level and spoke.

"But those ones need another friend!" Severa argued.

"Just be patient with the toys you have." Robin took her by her small hand and brought her back to Cordelia. "The restaurant is over there, right?" He whispered in her ear and pointed towards a large building while she held Morgan in her arms.

"Yes. Look for Chrom and Sumia waiting outside." She held Severa by the hand and walked towards the restaurant. Robin followed and noticed Chrom's distinctive blue hair that stuck out from the crowd like a sore thumb.

"Uncle Chrom!" Severa sprang from Robin's grip and ran through the crowd until she stood before Chrom. She looked up to the big man, who smiled back down at her. "Hi how are you is Lucina here?" She spoke at a quickened pace before running inside. "Okay good to see you bye!"

"Severa! Get back here!" Robin chased after her and grabbed her by the waist before she could enter the restaurant. "That's not how you greet family members."

Severa let out a sigh as Robin picked her up and set her back before Chrom's feet.

"Hi, uncle Chrom. How are you?" She folded her arms again and noticed that Robin and Cordelia were watching her as they blocked Severa's path to the door.

"Good, good. How are you doing?" Chrom responded. Severa was originally afraid of Chrom, due to how big and scary he was as the Exalt of Ylisse, but Lucina convinced him that he was a big ol' softie underneath that scary exterior.

"I'm pretty good. Is Lucina here?" Severa began to slowly shuffle towards the restaurant door. Chrom chuckled.

"Yes. She's inside with her mother on the waiting bench." Chrom nodded to Robin and Cordelia, who both stepped out of the way as Severa ran inside.

"Morgan, go join your sister now, okay?" Cordelia spoke to Morgan as she slowly set her on the ground.

"Hi, uncle Chrom!" Morgan smiled as she ran inside after Severa while giggling. "Bye uncle Chrom!" Cordelia and Robin were left standing outside with Chrom, shaking their heads.

"Severa is out of control, I swear…" Cordelia muttered.

"She's a good kid. Lucina's having similar issues with being brash." Chrom tried to console the hopeless couple. "Just give her some time."

"If you say so." Robin shrugged his shoulders as he took Cordelia's hand and walked into the restaurant. Chrom followed inside to the bustling cantina.

* * *

By the time the three families had sat down and finished their dinner, they began to talk and make up for lost time as they sat around the long, wooden table.

"Hey, uncle Gaius," Severa whispered to her orange-haired family member who sat next to her. "Did you bring any candy?"

"For the last time, kid, your mom is starting to crack down on our trades. This is the last time I can give you the goods." Gaius opened his pocket and took out a lollipop. He handed it to Severa's grasping hands.

"You're a good man, uncle Gaius." Severa quickly stuck the sugary treat in her mouth, which was noticed by her mother.

Cordelia let out a groan as she stood up and walked to Gaius' side. She whispered into his ear then went back to her seat.

"Aaaaaand your mom won't let me give you any more candy," Gaius whispered into her ear as she frowned.

"Oh, come on! You can't just give up like that!" Severa folded her arms and whispered back.

"Well, who do I want to anger? A six-year-old girl, or her mother?" Gaius answered back.

"I'm gonna talk to people who aren't losers." Severa stuck her tongue out at Gaius and turned to her other side, where Cynthia sat. "Your dad's a loser."

"No, he's not!" Cynthia glared at her. "My dad is the best!"

"He won't give me any more candy!" Severa sighed. "Now I'm gonna starve…"

"Oh, go whine to someone else." Cynthia got out of her chair and went to the empty one near Morgan. "Your sister won't stop whining," Cynthia spoke to Morgan as she adjusted her orange pigtails.

"She does that sometimes," Morgan responded. "I just ignore her when that happens. Actually, I can handle this." Morgan got out of her chair, tugged on her mother's coat and whispered into her ear.

Cordelia nodded, got up and walked over to Severa.

"Your sister says that you're complaining too much. Is this true?" She asked.

"What? No! She's lying!" Severa rebutted the claim and watched as Gaius sighed.

"She called me a loser," Gaius spoke to Cordelia and had to fight the urge to laugh.

"You ratted me out, you snitch!" Severa glared at Gaius and started to yell.

"Try to focus on the good thing, okay? Like how your parents bought you a nice birthday dinner with your friends?" Cordelia knelt down to Severa's eye level and tried a new tactic Sumia and Olivia had been teaching her.

"Okay…" Severa sighed and looked at her feet. The look of disappointment in her mother's eyes was too much for her. "Thank you for the birthday part-" Severa's attention was drawn to a group of waiters carrying a large cake with six candles in it. "Wait, what?" Her voice was drawn out as the waiters placed the cake on the center of the table, and a large wrapped present at Severa's seat. "What is this?" Her eyes widened as she grabbed the box and began to shake it.

All of the guests to her party waited in anticipation as she examined the box. "From Robin and Cordelia. To: our special daughter." Severa quickly opened the box and discovered that inside was a stuffed bear.

The very same stuffed bear holding a heart that she wanted to buy an hour ago.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you." Robin began to sing. Everyone else joined in as Severa's smile began to grow. "Happy birthday dear Severa. Happy birthday to you!"

Severa hugged the bear to her chest as Cordelia placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"You and dad are the best parents ever! Thank you, thank you thank you thank you!" Severa got up, set the bear on her chair, and hugged Cordelia.

* * *

By the time Robin and Cordelia had said their goodbyes, the air outside the restaurant had become unbearably cold as they grabbed Severa and Morgan before speed-walking back to their home. By the time they had returned to their home, Cordelia made a bee-line for the fireplace and tossed a couple logs into it.

"Alright, bedtime," Robin spoke as he ushered Severa and Morgan to their room. Once he said goodnight to both of them, he came to his room to find Cordelia shivering underneath the blankets of their bed.

"I think we made progress with Severa today," Cordelia spoke between her chattering teeth as Robin crawled into bed and held her in an embrace.

"I hope so…" Robin responded as he shut his eyes and rested his head on a pillow. They both held each other and adjusted their positions on the mattress for a good while until their ears heard a rather familiar noise.

Pitter patter pitter patter. The sound of a child's feet slapping against the wooden floor of the hallways. Without missing a second, Cordelia lifted the blankets up as Severa jumped onto the bed and snuggled herself in between her parents on the bed.

"I think that monster is still in the closet…" Severa spoke in an embarrassed voice.

"Yes, yes, just have your father investigate it tomorrow," Cordelia mumbled without opening her eyes.

* * *

Robin's eyes slowly fluttered open the following morning as sunlight shone in through a nearby window. He would've stayed in his trance-like position, except that Severa's tiny foot was placed directly on his chest as she laid sprawled-out on the bed and snored. Cordelia was sound asleep as well as she laid on her side with her back facing Robin.

"Grandpa, what's this story about?" Robin's heart jumped when he heard Morgan's voice echo from the living room.

"Well that, my child, is the story of the Fell Dragon, Grima. Do you wish to hear it?" A rather low voice spoke as Robin's eyes widened. He quickly got out of bed, put a robe on, then slowly tip-toed towards the living room.

"Yes please," Morgan responded.

"Well, long ago, on a faraway land, there were two divine dragons. Duma, and Grima. Both dragons were the closest of friends and wanted only the best for humanity. But, one day, a group of evil men lead by a warlord named Alm attacked Duma. With his compassion, Duma sent Grima away so that he could survive, but this nasty Alm character hunted down Grima as well." Robin's heartbeat accelerated. The last time he had heard the name Grima was-

His mind began to race as he realized that this voice sounded like Robin's supposed father he attacked in the ruins all those years ago.

"Alm sounds like a real meanie," Morgan spoke. Robin's footsteps quickened.

"Oh, he was. After Grima was executed, he came back after a millennium, and exacted revenge on all the bad men who wronged him." Robin slid into the living room with his socks and saw the very same gray-skinned man from eight years ago sitting on Robin's couch and reading a book to Morgan.

"Get. Out." Robin stared down the man and tried to look intimidating, but remembered that he was shirtless.

"Ah, there you are. Please calm down. I mean you and your family no harm." The man stood and patted Morgan on the head. "Your children are quite lovely. This one invited me in after I told her that I was your father."

Morgan walked to her father's side and smiled at the gray-skinned man. "Regardless, I, Validar, wish to invite you and your friends to the grand resurrection of Grima. Be at the Dragon's Table one week from now at sunrise if you wish to see the beauty of our lord." Validar held his hands up as a sign of peace as he slowly walked back out through the front door.

Robin followed him out after a minute and was unable to find him in the front yard. His blood was boiling and his fists were clenched.

"Dad, why didn't you tell me about grandpa?" Morgan asked as she stood behind her father. The look of sadness in his eyes was something that Morgan would not comprehend until many years later.

* * *

So, if you're wondering about what exactly did Validar mean by Duma and Grima being friends, then I suggest you read my other story, _Lamentations of the Creation_. It's mainly a different, humorous take on how Grima wound up in his cave in _Shadows of Valentia_ , and what he does after he conquers the world of _Awakening_. It also ties into this story, so if you want a different viewpoint on certain events and a glance into where this story is heading, I suggest checking it out.


	9. C Act I: Child of Chaos Finale

Cordelia's Tale: Act I

Child of Chaos

Finale

Author's note: I recommend listening to _The Maker's Ruin_ from _Final Fantast XIV_ when you see one * mark, _Offering Ritual of Worship_ from _Kirby Star Allies_ when you see two ** marks, and _Prologue_ from _Paper Mario_ when you see three *** marks.

* * *

The musty, decrepit halls of the Dragon's Table sent a chill down Chrom's spine as he stood in the central room with Robin and the rest of the Shepherds at his side. Once Robin had informed him of Validar's plan, he quickly mobilized the Shepherds back together for hopefully one last battle with the man who orchestrated Emmeryn's death and now wanted to revive Grima.

Given that Grima was the god of chaos and destruction worshipped in Plegia, Chrom also had the mind to prevent that monster from coming back and causing a disaster.

"Well, look at what fate has laid at my feet!" Validar emerged from the back of the large chamber before an ornate brazier with a purple flame flickering in it. He stood atop a faded carpet of red and green that spread out in a circle. "The prodigal son returns, with friends and family in tow." His spindly hand pointed towards Robin, who stood at Chrom's side ahead of the group. "A shame none of them will save you from your destiny."

Two figures adorned with cloaks emerged from behind Validar and slammed their hands on the ground. Suddenly, gigantic pillars of purple flames erupted behind Robin and Chrom, separating them from the group with their intensity.

Robin quickly turned around and searched for Cordelia, who stood on the other side of the wall of flames. The sheer heat of the fire made him take a few steps back and look up, where he noticed that the flame touched the ceiling of the room.

"Robin!" The first thing Cordelia had learned in training was that separation from the group was a death knell. She already had a bad feeling about this day, and Robin's predicament was not helping.

"I'll be fine, honey! Just focus on staying alive and we'll make it through this!" Robin shouted from the other side as he watched the mages casting the wall of flames step through the barrier, completely unscathed. "If you kill those mages, the barrier should come down!" Robin noticed the look of panic in her eyes and pointed to the mages that were now on Cordelia's side of the wall, both of whom were now sprinting down a hallway when they noticed Cordelia's glare.

*Bursting out of the hallways like flies swarming a rotted corpse, cloaked attackers surrounded the Shepherds as they readied their weapons and charged to battle. Cordelia's heartbeat accelerated as she climbed aboard her pegasus and tore off towards the mages. She didn't trust Robin's odds against his supposed father, and he most certainly was holding a trick up his sleeve.

She gripped the reins of her steed with one hand and a lance with another as she flew past swarms of cultists that were attacking the Shepherds and dispatched whatever she could as she closed in on a mage. His footsteps quickened as she gained on him and aimed her lance at his back.

He took a sharp left down a dimly-lit hallway; the wingspan of her pegasus wouldn't fit in these halls, so she had to continue on foot. Leaping off of her steed, Cordelia broke into a sprint and gained on the mage, whose baggy cloak slowed his footsteps.

She aimed her spear at his back and delivered a lunge, which pierced his back like a hot knife through butter. He doubled over on the ground and sputtered to breathe as Cordelia continued to stab him with a glare in her eyes.

Nothing was going to stand between her and her family.

"Hey, Cordelia!" Gaius stood at the other end of the hallway, which looped back into the central chamber. "The other mage is over here!" He waved his arms and quickly ducked when a ball of fire soared over his head.

Cordelia sprinted out of the hallway and placed her fingers to her mouth. She whistled for her steed to join her and saw it fly towards her as she continued to run. She ran parallel to the pegasus as she hopped on board and flew to the ceiling.

At the very corner of the room was the second mage, who seemed to notice her as he ran towards the barrier of fire. Before Cordelia could engage him from above, he entered the barrier and began to taunt her as he stood on the other side.

"The vessel is going to die, and there's nothing you can do! Grima shall welcome us with his jaw-" In the mage's taunting, he failed to notice that Cordelia grabbed a javelin from her pegasus' side and aimed it at his chest. He watched in shock as she tossed the metallic spear through the barrier and into the mage's chest. He doubled over and coughed blood before succumbing to his wounds.

Cordelia's heartbeat continued to climb as the wall of flame evaporated, leaving nothing standing between her and Robin. But alas, Robin was nowhere to be found. Instead was a set of two dusty footprints that lead into a hallway behind the brazier. Cordelia hurriedly followed after the tracks with a sinking feeling in her gut.

* * *

Chrom paired a blow from Validar's electrified hand and stabbed the falchion into his chest. Robin watched from the side with an open tome ready in case Validar tried anything. After following the madman into this secret chamber adorned with a stained glass window, Robin and Chrom had fought off Validar's attacks and seemingly won.

Validar collapsed on the floor as Chrom ran to Robin's side with his sword sheathed.

"I think that's it…" Beads of sweat trickled down Chrom's brow as he knelt over. Robin nodded his head in agreement before he noticed something in the corner of his field of vision.

"This isn't over…" Validar got to his feet slowly and raised his hand. Purple magic swirled around his palm before he aimed it at Chrom. "Damn youboth !" Validar faded away into purple fizzles of flame as his magic projectile soared through the air towards Chrom. Robin shoved his friend out of the way and felt the arcane arrow strike his chest. The pain seared Robin's nerves, but he had suffered worse.

Chrom got to his feet and tended to Robin's wounds.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Robin nodded again, although he felt a slight headache. Chrom glanced over at the pile of ash where Validar once stood. "That's the end of him. Thanks to you we carried the day. We can rest easy now. At long last…"

A chill went down Robin's spin as his vision turned red. Chrom noticed that his eyes had gone bloodshot. "What's wrong? Hey, hang on-"

**"Kill." A low growl sounded within Robin's thoughts. It sounded exactly like the voice that controlled his actions all those years ago in those Thabian ruins.

As though it had a mind of its own, a bolt of Thoron shot from Robin's hand and pierced Chrom's heart. Robin let out a scream as Chrom's eyes widened. He buckled to his knees and looked to Robin with blood trickling from his mouth. "This is not your… your fault… Promise me you'll escape from this place… Please, go…" The life faded from Chrom's eyes as Robin grabbed his friend by the neck and stared at him.

"Chrom! No! I didn't… I wouldn't…" His heartbeat had accelerated to the point where it was all he could hear. "Oh, gods…" Robin hugged his dead friend and inspected his hands;electricity still crackled between his fingers.

"So… Robin, is it?" The same low voice spoke within his thoughts. "Shame you had to murder your best friend in cold blood like that."

"Who… Who are you?" Robin responded with a shaky tone.

"I am the Fell Dragon, Grima, and I will be the best thing that has ever happened to you," The voice responded. Robin's gaze was drawn to Cordelia, who stood in the doorway of the room. "Ah, who might this be?"

Robin watched in horror as Cordelia's eyes focused on him and widened. "This must be your wife, correct?"

"Don't you dare touch her!" Robin yelled back as his teary eyes focused on Cordelia.

"Robin, what's going on?" Cordelia asked as she slowly walked forward with her lance brandished. Her eyes focused on Chrom's corpse. "Oh, gods! Chrom!"

"I didn't kill him!" Robin shouted which startled Cordelia. He was shaken, visibly and mentally.

"Oh, but you did. I merely removed the restrictions you had placed upon yourself. You knew that your wife had always harbored feelings for Chrom, so your rage built until I loosened the floodgates." Grima chuckled to himself.

"That's not… That's not…" Robin muttered to himself as he clutched his head in between his hands.

"Robin? Robin, listen to me!" Cordelia seated herself in front of Robin and held him in an embrace. "I'm here for you! Severa's here for you! Morgan's here, we're all here and we can help you!" Robin held her back and felt the comforting warmth of her body wash over him. He wasn't sure what to do, but with Cordelia's help, he could at least find a way.

"Imagine what would happen to your family if word came out that you murdered the Exalt in cold blood. Think of the barbarians who would barge into your home and drag your wife out kicking and screaming to the chopping block. Think of the rogues who would strangle your infant children to ensure that your bloodline ends." Grima spoke.

Robin let out a wail as he realized that he was now a criminal. He had killed the Exalt, accident or not. The Shepherds wouldn't welcome him back, and his existence put his family in jeopardy.

"Or, you could accept my gift and allow me to possess you. If it were revealed that a man was possessed by a mad god and acted not of his own will, your family would most likely be spared." Grima spoke again; his voice sounded eerily excited.

Robin was presented with an uncertainty. Would he offer his body to Grima and prevent his family from being killed? Or should he live the rest of his days as a wanted criminal, never knowing if each day would end with his wife and children dead?

"I… I accept…" Robin's lip wavered while he responded, and black clouds began to envelop his body.

"Robin?" Cordelia scrambled to grab her husband's hands but was unable to reach them through the fog. "Robin! What's going on?" The panic in her voice was but a small fraction of her thoughts.

Robin laughed as a wave of energy emerged from the dark cloud, knocking Cordelia backward and off her feet. She groggily got back up to see Robin standing where the cloud was. "Robin? Is that?"

But this was not Robin. This imposter had red eyes and six markings underneath them that glowed with a purple light.

"I'm sorry, but your husband is currently stuck in a void between life and death," The thing controlling Robin spoke as it began to slowly walk towards Cordelia.

"What… What are you…?" Cordelia slowly backed away from Grima's advance.

"A god that is now possessing your husband." It spoke. Cordelia remembered how stories of the first Exalt detailed him slaying a mortal who had made pact with the Fell Dragon, Grima.

The very same Grima that Validar had tried to resurrect, and needed a host. "You can join me if you wish." Grima smirked as Cordelia continued to back away.

"No… You're a monster." She responded; her back was to the wall now. "I would never join you!" She attempted to slide to the left along the wall, but Grima snapped his hands. Purple ropes emerged from the wall and tied themselves over Cordelia's arms and legs until she was bound to the wall.

"Oh, come now." Grima was bearing down on her with a glare in his eyes. "I beg you to reconsider. Maybe if you smiled, you wouldn't be so irate." He slowly placed his disgusting, cold fingers to the edges of her lips and dragged them until she was replicating a smile. Her entire body was trembling with paralyzing fear that locked her joints. "See? You're much prettier when you smile."

Her thoughts burned with rage as his hands remained on her face.

"I'm. Not. Joining. You!" Cordelia gritted her teeth while she spoke. She slightly wound her head back, then bashed it into Grima's forehead.

"Ow!" Grima stumbled backward and quickly regained his composure as the ropes binding Cordelia were dispelled. She cradled her head due to the throbbing pain in it. "You want to play that way? Fine!" He raised his left arm to the sky, and Cordelia was lifted off her feet by a floating, purple hand that gripped her neck. She struggled to breathe as she was raised higher and higher.

Grima began to walk towards the window while Cordelia floated behind him; her face had gone completely red while she struggled to pry the ghostly fingers off her neck. "Down you go! Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" Grima pulled his raised hand back, then motioned it forward as though he was throwing a ball.

The ghostly hand threw Cordelia out of the window, which shattered as she collided with it.

***As Cordelia fell towards the ground, the wind lashed at her face as she looked up to see something… something downright hellish emerge over the blood-red horizon.

It was a massive, purple dragon with a horned head, six red eyes, and six feathered wings that helped it float in the air as it roared.

While she continued to fall, there was only one thing Cordelia could feel that made her hands tremble as she placed them to her mouth and whistled.

One emotion that made her eyes water as she landed on her pegasus and stared at this gigantic monster before flying back in the direction of her house.

Grief.

* * *

Cordelia slowly opened the door to her house with her head aimed at the floor and her feet dragging. Moonlight shone in behind her as she seated herself on the couch and began to cry. There was an indescribable hole in her chest that ached and pained as she cried out Robin's name.

She buried her head in her hands as Severa and Morgan emerged from their rooms and stood before their mother with curious yet fearful eyes.

"Where's daddy?" They both asked.

Cordelia looked at her daughters with her trembling lips and shaky vision. Without saying a word, she got to the floor on her knees and held both of them in an embrace as her tears stained their clothing.

"I... I don't know..." She almost choked on her words as she forced them out.

* * *

With that out of the way, the real meat of the story can kick into high gear, and I'll see you again with Severa's Tale Act I: Footsteps of Fate.


	10. S Act I: Footsteps of Fate Part I

Severa's Tale: Act I

Footsteps of Fate

Part I

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Confusion_ from _Mother 3_ when you see one * mark, and _She Was Like a Sunflower_ from _MOTHER 3_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

With a quick glance towards the birthday cake on the table, Severa made her way to the couch inside her house and seated herself. She slumped forward and gazed out the window to the darkened sky above.

" _She has to come back… There's no way she could die out there…_ " She had repeated that thought to herself for the last few hours since her mother left without saying a single word.

"Are you well?" Lucina asked as she walked by the birthday cake, noticed the sixteen candles lodged in it, and seated herself next to Severa. "You still haven't taken a bite of your cake…"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Severa responded back with a smile but shifted back to an anxious stare towards the window.

"You're nervous about your mother, aren't you?" Lucina's care was practically dripping from her words.

"Yes. Very much so." Morgan emerged from the dining room with a thin layer of cake smeared around her face. "She gets that look whenever she doesn't know where mom is." Morgan quickly seated herself next to her sister and smiled as she licked the cake crumbs off her mouth.

"Shut up." Severa quickly shot back and began to nervously comb through her white ponytails with her fingers.

"Are we eating the cake yet?" Inigo yawned as he emerged from the guest room and noticed the three girls sitting on the couch.

"No!" Severa glared at him as he scrambled back into the guest room. "When mom comes back, we can eat the cake!"

Severa's ears perked up as she heard the flapping of wings and the neighing of a horse. She flashed a quick look to Morgan, who seemed to know exactly what Severa was thinking, then rushed outside.

The cold night air sent a chill down her spine as she stared at the feminine figure emerging from the stables. She had long, distinctive red hair that matched Morgan's in shade but not in length. Without saying a word, Severa angrily stomped towards her mother with her shoulders tensed.

"Hello, Sever-" Cordelia spoke before Severa stuck her finger in her face and began to shout.

"Do you have any gods-damned idea how worried I was about you? You just up and disappeared without saying anything! I shouldn't have to spend my birthday worrying about what happened to you!" Severa glared into her mother's eyes and noticed that they looked rather solemn.

"I'm sorry," Cordelia said after a long pause.

"Sorry doesn't cut it! Sorry doesn't mean anything when the next time you pull this stunt, you turn up dead and I don't have a mother! Sorry doesn't…" Severa began to stumble and trip over her words as she stared into her mother's eyes.

Cordelia opened her embrace and Severa rushed into it with tears in her eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere." Cordelia whispered as Severa wallowed in her embrace.

"You… You say you aren't…" Severa sobbed between each sentence as her tears stained her mother's dress. "But you don't know that! Dad didn't know he was going to go away and look where he is now!"

A few moments of silence passed as Severa held her mother, and when she felt she was ready, she took a couple steps back as she wiped her eyes. "Do you want to go eat the birthday cake? I saved it for you…"

"Yes. I'm sorry I made you worry." Cordelia responded as she walked with Severa back inside the house.

* * *

Later that night, Severa laid awake in her bed as the light of the moon shone down onto her bare skin. She tossed and turned in bed as she pressed her pillow against her chest, but to no avail.

Her eyes fluttered open as she heard the sound of a drawer slamming shut, and a whispered 'damn it' echoing from downstairs. She groggily got to her feet, put on a nearby sweater that hung in her closet, and tip-toed out of her room and into the living room, where she presumed the noise had come from.

When Severa noticed that the living room was illuminated by a nearby candle, her mind began to race. Was her house being looted by thugs? Would she finally have a chance to prove to her mother that she could handle herself in a fight?

Even more outlandish possibilities were being thrown around. Could this be her father, escaped from Grima's grasp and come to rejoin his family?

*Her questions were not answered by her mother, who was standing in the doorway with a lance in hand and adorned in a white breastplate.

"Mom? What are you…" Severa wiped her eyes as she noticed the look in her mother's eyes, which resembled a deer caught in a hunter's sights.

"Severa, please go back to bed." Cordelia took a pause as Severa stared at her.

"Are you… What are you doing?" Severa's hands trembled as she noticed that Cordelia's other hand was on the doorknob. Out the nearby window, Severa could see a snowstorm set against the night sky.

"The Pegasus Knights need me to combat a squad of Risen." Cordelia's eyes trembled along with her hands. Her eyes looked as though she was hiding something, but Severa was unable to catch onto this.

"The Pegasus Knights don't matter! They can deal with their own issues!" Severa quickly pushed herself in between the door and Cordelia. "I need you, and they don't!"

"Severa, please get out of the way," Cordelia spoke in a quiet voice, in contrast to Severa's yelling.

"Why? Why should I get out of the way when it's the only thing keeping you from leaving me?" Tears flowed from Severa's eyes to her cheeks.

Cordelia responded by holding her daughter in an embrace.

"I'm doing this for… for you…" She struggled to get her words out as Severa knees shook and wobbled like a shoddy lance. "I promise you that I'll be back."

"You can't even promise to be here for my birthday!" Severa's despair quickly turned to rage. "Just leave! Get out of here! If you care about your knight friends more than me, then go be with them!" She shoved Cordelia away and stood in the living room with her arms flailing.

Cordelia slowly exited the house and stood outside while Severa screamed at her. "I never want to see you again!"

"Severa, I'm sorry. I love you, and please tell Morgan that I love her as well." Cordelia maintained her calm tone as Severa's forehead began to throb.

"Stop lying! The only person you love died ten years ago, and he's never coming back!" Severa assumed those words were a low blow to her mother, as she quickly turned to face the other direction. Severa could've swore that she heard a sniffle escape her mother's nose.

She watched with her arms folded as her mother mounted her flying steed and rode off into the snowy, darkened sky. Her focus turned to the nearby end table next to the couch, which had a ring set on it.

Cordelia's golden wedding ring. Severa picked up the jewelry without saying a word and held it in her hands. She stared at it and _tried_ to focus her rage on it, towards her mother.

But she could not. For there was no anger left in her mind. Only sadness and regret over what she had said.

* * *

By the time Lucina woke up, she had come to the living room to see Severa slumped on the couch with bloodshot eyes full of tears. She tried to comfort her dear friend but was unable to calm her down.

Morgan joined her sister in sorrowful weeping once she heard the news, and even Inigo tried to cheer Severa up. This didn't work, as Severa just responded by throwing pillows at him until he left, but it was the thought that counts.

A day had passed with no news on Cordelia. Severa had abstained from eating and spent the previous night vomiting and waking everyone up. Morgan and Lucina tried to help her and get her to eat, but again, to no progress.

Inigo tried to comfort her again, but his efforts would amount to moot.

"You're just trying to get in my pants." Severa snarled as she sat on the couch, bundled up in a large number of blankets and still shivering.

"That's not... Severa, I can be a good friend without trying to be romantic, okay?" Inigo paused and noticed the look of support from his sister, Lucina.

"Who said we were friends?" Severa snarked back while Lucina sighed.

"Okay, you can continue doing whatever the hell you're doing." Inigo glanced to Lucina, who gave him an empathetic look. "I tried." Inigo threw back a glare and stomped into the guest room.

"Severa! That's not okay!" Lucina stood up and glared at her. She was at her wit's end with Severa's attitude towards Inigo and followed after him.

Severa's gaze turned to Morgan, who looked as though she was on the verge of tears.

"What do you want?" She asked in a low voice.

"N-nothing." Morgan wiped her eyes and walked away. " _I want mom back…_ " She thought as her eyes began to well again, regardless of her efforts to keep her feelings inside.

"Morgan, do you need to cry?" Severa asked in a noticeably more affectionate tone. She watched as Morgan turned around and stared at her through the tears in her eyes.

Morgan proceeded to bawl uncontrollably as she sprinted onto the couch and collapsed at Severa's side in a sobbing mess. Severa patted her sister on the back as she tried to smile. "Everything's gonna be fine… Mom's going to come back and we can be a family again…"

A knock on the door resounded through the house as Severa got up to answer it. Casting the blankets aside, Severa cracked open the door to see two disheveled men standing in the doorway. Behind them was the falling rain and some object in a burlap sack that smelt like rotten food.

"Are you the daughter of this woman?" One of the men asked as he held up a drawing that resembled Cordelia. Severa's heart sank.

"Y-yeah. What does it mean to you?" Severa's lips trembled as Morgan stood behind her.

In utter silence, the men opened the sack to reveal something that shook Severa to her very core. First, locks of red hair laced with snow began to peak out of the burlap sack. Then came the sight that Severa had never wished to see.

Inside the sack was Cordelia's lifeless corpse. Her pale lips and shut eyelids seemed to pierce through Severa's thoughts.

"We… We found her like this when we hiked through our regular trail. We recognized her from town, and we wanted to make sure you kne-" One of the men spoke as Severa slowly knelt down beside her mother. Rain pounded the top of her head.

She placed her trembling hands on her mother's body and felt her skin. What was once warm to the touch and would calm Severa with an embrace was now a frigid husk.

Severa wanted to hurl the contents of her stomach. She wanted her heart to stop beating so she could rejoin her parents. She wanted to get out there and kill whoever did this to her.

She wanted her mother back.

"Leave." Severa slowly turned her head to face the two men. "G-get out of here!" Tears flowed down her cheeks as Morgan rushed to Cordelia's body.

"We're sorry." The two men simply bowed their heads and left as Severa's wailings increased in pitch and frequency.

* * *

On a hill overlooking their house was Severa, Lucina, Morgan and Inigo. The rain from before had gone and left a gentle lull in its wake, but Severa didn't feel like the rain had stopped.

Two graves sat on top of the hill. One, a fancy tombstone with the letter R engraved on it. Severa remembered the first time she visited this grave when she was six-years-old and the sorrow it gave her.

The other, a small collection of stones arranged to spell out the letter C. The ground near it was still fresh from being dug up.

"Severa… I'm sorry…" Lucina spoke in a quiet voice as she walked over to Severa's side. "Death is such a terrible thing, and I wish I could make your grief disappear."

Severa didn't even respond; she just continued to stare at the graves of her parents.

Morgan's eyes were watering as she stood there silently, and she quickly covered her eyes with the purple sleeve of her coat. Severa let out a wail as she grabbed Lucina by the arm.

"S-s-s-she's g-g-gone." Her voice became incredibly shaky as she buried her face into Lucina's shoulder.

"Everything's going to be alright…" Lucina attempted to soothe Severa while she gently patted her shoulder. She and her brother had experienced first-hand how it felt to lose their parents. They knew about the sleepless nights that occurred, where they wished that their parents would wake them up from this nightmare. They both wished that none of their friends would have to go through the pain of losing family.

Severa pulled her head away from Lucina's shoulder; the sides of her face were wet with tears. Inigo watched from the sidelines, saddened and unsure of what to do.

"Thank y-you." Severa wrapped her arms around Lucina and felt the warmth of her body. Morgan slowly joined the group huddle as well. While the three companions were embracing, Severa's ears perked up when she heard a faint noise.

It was the sound of a harp being played.

"Do any of you hear that?" She pulled away from the group and scanned the area. Everywhere she looked, vast expanses of trees stretched into the sky. Her eyes focused on a flash of red entering the forest. "Wait here. I need to go check something out." Severa tore off towards the forest; Lucina reached out to stop her but was too late.

"Severa! Please come back!" She looked incredibly worried as Severa slipped into the forest.

When Severa emerged in the area underneath the massive trees, she quickly glanced around while the sound of a harp playing grew louder and louder. She used the sounds of the harp to guide her through the forest as her feet crunched against the sticks on the ground.

Severa followed the noises of the harp until she found herself staring at a clearing. She panted for breath then exited the forest into the clearing.

She found herself on a cliff that overlooked a large stretch of land below; the sun hanged in the orange sky above. Grass and flowers swayed in the breeze, and her gaze was drawn to a person standing at the cliff.

The person had long, red hair, and Severa didn't even bother looking at her other details. She knew exactly who this person was.

**"Mother?" Severa's voice sounded as though it would shatter. Her mother looked rather translucent, but she still turned around to give her daughter a bright smile.

Severa's footsteps grew heavier and heavier as she drew closer to her mother; she felt as though she were wading through knee-high water. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she struggled to fight back tears.

Without saying a word, Cordelia opened her arms and smiled. The same smile that would brighten up Severa's day with the mere sight.

Severa's knees buckled underneath the weight of her emotions and she fell to the ground. She began to slowly, painfully claw her way towards her mother. Her entire body refused to stand. She made a quiet whimpering sound as her mother walked before her.

Cordelia gently held Severa by the arms and helped her to her feet. Her smile could practically replace the sun for all Severa cared.

Severa buried her face into the familiar warmth of her mother's shoulder and began to sob profusely. Cordelia's hands were delicately wrapped around Severa's back, and Severa could feel her tears staining her mother's clothing.

Cordelia embraced her daughter for what felt like an age, then drew back.

"Please… Don't leave me again…" Severa sniffled her nose as she looked up. Her mother was floating off the cliff and hung in the air like a cloud. She outstretched her arms and smiled at Severa.

Severa wiped her eyes as she took a few steps back. She looked around to the nearby forest, the long fall below her, and then her mother.

She pushed her feet against the ground and sprinted. She ran with all the force she could muster as she leaped off the cliff and towards her mother.

She outstretched her arm and reached toward her mother, but closed her eyes once she caught a sniff of her familiar smell. She didn't even bother to open her eyes as she fell towards the ground, as all she could focus on was one smell from her mother.

The smell of the ocean.


	11. S Act I: Footsteps of Fate Part II

Severa's Tale: Act I

Footsteps of Fate

Part II

* * *

Wind lashed at Severa's face as she plummeted towards the ground at an alarming rate. Her eyes were pulled open by said winds, forcing her to stare at the rocky floor as it approached.

But, mere seconds before she was about to strike the ground, she stopped. She paused, looked around, and noticed that she was currently hanging upside-down barely above the ground, suspended in midair.

"Well, look what lord Grima has placed at my feet." A low voice spoke from behind her. Severa tried and tried to turn her neck around to see who was talking, but her answer was made clear when a lanky man with gray skin emerged from her side and stood before her.

"Who the hell…" She noticed purple strings stretching from the man's fingers and traced them to her legs, which seemed to be what kept her from falling to her death and suspending her in midair. "Who are you?" Her eyes struggled to remain open and her body felt numb.

"Your grandfather. Be thankful I saved your life after you refused to invite me to your birthday party." The man spoke as Severa succumbed to exhaustion and passed out.

* * *

"Tell us where the survivors are!" A gruff voice yelled as Severa slowly opened her eyes. Her ears were ringing and her hands trembled as she felt the touch of cold stone on her fingers.

"I'll… I'll never te-" The other voice was cut off by the sound of water splashing and gurgling. Severa quickly got up and struggled to observe her surroundings due to the low light level, but she was able to make out metal bars that surrounded her area.

Flames crackled to life on torches that lined the walls, lighting up the room and letting her notice that there was a man being tortured in the area outside her cell. Cobblestone flooring and walls stood in contrast to the bright blue water that was being splashed through the air by a cloaked man repeatedly dunking another man's head into a tub of said water.

The man gasped for breath and raised his head as the cloaked man drew back. He tossed a somber look towards Severa before he heard the footsteps from behind.

Severa winced as she watched the cloaked man jab a branding iron onto the back of the man. She tried to cover her ears to block out the screams of the man and the sounds of searing flesh but to no avail.

"Ah, you're awake." The hooded torturer turned and noticed Severa, then drew back to a nearby hallway, leaving Severa and the tortured to awkwardly stare at each other in silence.

Fear filled her gut as she waited. Was he going to torture her with some insane device?

After a short minute, the torturer returned with a platter of food in one hand, a pillow in another, and a blanket slung over his shoulder. He opened the door to her cell then delicately placed the objects down on the floor while she watched with a glare. "We hope you enjoy your night."

Severa waited until the hooded man left her cell to examine the items he left behind, which included a fluffy purple blanket, a large platter of food that had more on it than most of her dinners, and a pillow embroidered with the words 'Grima's Little Princess.'

"If you wish, I can continue this scum's punishment in a separate room." The torturer asked as he grabbed the tortured by the hair and looked to Severa. She didn't respond. How could she? She was so dumbfounded by where she was and the warm welcome she had received that her mind had gone into a lull trying to comprehend it all.

The torturer spoke on her behalf after she stood there in silence. "Obviously, you are so frightened of him that you cannot speak. Never fear, Lady Severa, for I know exactly what to do with this poor fool."

The tortured was able to mumble a quiet 'Help me' as he was dragged away by the torturer down the hallway and out of Severa's view, leaving her to sit in the cell while she stared at her trembling hands.

She felt so sick to her stomach that she couldn't even bear to look at her food, and noticed that behind her was a raised mattress. She laid on the bed and wrapped herself in the warm blanket, but was unable to close her eyes.

Outside her cell was another connected one, and inside that sat a man wearing rags who laid upon the cold ground with no headrest or blanket. His teeth clattered and his body trembled as he rested.

"Here, take this," Severa whispered as she passed her pillow and blanket between the bars between the cells. The man raised his head and excitedly looked at her with his bloodshot eyes.

"T-thank you." He spoke in a trembling whisper as he wrapped himself up and laid down. Although the freezing cold would've been too much for her before, she felt a warmth inside her soul that allowed her to rest her eyes.

"Hey! You dare steal from Lady Severa?" The torturer emerged back into the room, swung open the door to the man's cell and ripped the blanket off of him.

"Wait wait! This is just a misunderst-" Severa pleaded and watched in horror as the torturer grabbed the man by the shoulders and forced him to his feet.

"Lady Severa, please. This man assaulted you and stole your provisions, then forced you to lie to save his hide, correct?" The torturer asked. Severa choked on her words and was unable to respond. "There is no need to worry, and we shall make sure this man is punished severely for his actions against you." The hooded torturer spoke as he gave Severa the blanket and pillow, then dragged the man out of the room, leaving Severa to sit by herself.

She wrapped herself in the blanket and began to sob as she heard the screams of not one, but two men. Even though the fluffy blanket covered her completely, she still clattered her teeth and felt as though she was going to freeze to death.

* * *

A week passed, or maybe it had only been a few days. Severa had lost track. The hooded men who operated the fortress she was detained in allowed her to roam it freely, for there were no weapons or unsealed exits that she could use to escape.

They had given her these privileges in the hope that she would warm up to the idea of meeting Grima, but instead, she just sat in her cell all day and stared at a wall, only occasionally moving to eat and thank the members who gave her food. When asked her thoughts on the planned day to meet Grima, she simply responded with a mumble each time.

* * *

The bright, orange sky hung above as Severa stood encircled by members of the Grimleal. Grima had specifically requested that he pick Severa up at Breakneck Pass, and what were the Grimleal to do but follow his orders to the letter?

An iron ball was tied to her left leg, preventing her from escaping. She noticed that the supposed leader of these cultists, whose robe was dark purple instead of black like the rest, had the key on his belt.

"Your father shall be here any moment now." One member spoke; Severa remembered him as the torturer from her first night in the fortress.

"He is not my father," Severa responded coldly as she folded her arms and glared.

"If you insist." The man rolled his eyes and resumed waiting with his sword drawn in case any interlopers were spotted.

As if on cue, three figures emerged over the horizon and drew the attention of the circle, Severa included. She used her hands to act as a visor and shield her eyes from the rays of the sun as she examined them, then realized that the figures were Lucina, Morgan, and even Inigo.

"Friends of yours?" One cultist turned and asked Severa.

"Most of them, yes." Her tone seemed more lively than before. Without saying so much as a word, the cultists drew their weapons and moved to engage the trio. Severa was simply left by herself, as the cultists knew she could not go far with that weight attached to her leg.

As a result, Severa was left to simply stand on the sidelines and watch the resulting fight. She did find some modest enjoyment from watching Lucina drive her blade, Falchion, through the head of a cultist before pulling it out and impaling another cloaked man behind her in one fluid motion. It was also quite entertaining to watch Morgan and Inigo fight with their backs against one another and work as a single unit rather than two fighters. Morgan hurled balls of flame from one hand, and enchanted Inigo's sword before he used it to vertically slice a cultist from their stomach to their nose.

But as the battle drew to a close after a short while, Severa was left pondering what would've gone differently if she was in the fight instead of Morgan. Would they lose? Would she trip over herself and end up as a hostage, forcing Lucina to sacrifice herself for her?

Was she good enough to even charge into battle at her side?

As Severa stood there, she felt as though corks were stuck in her eardrums. She felt light-headed and as though she could topple at any moment as Lucina waved her arms in front of her.

"Sev-" Lucina's voice broke through her muffled hearing. "Can y- -ear- m-"

All Severa could hear was a low, growling version of her own voice, chanting a message over and over again.

"You're not good enough."

"Severa! Can you hear me?" Lucina's voice could be heard now as Severa jolted upright. She felt as though she had woken up from a long nap. Morgan and Inigo had caught up to them by now.

"How did you three even find me?" Severa asked as she _attempted_ to smile at Lucina. She simply couldn't find the strength to even look at someone as perfect as her.

"We were camping in the forest when we overheard a squad of Grimleal talk about you. They said they were keeping you in a fortress so you could rejoin Grima." Morgan answered on Lucina's behalf as she hugged his sister. "I didn't think I would see you again..." Tears welled in her sister's eyes and Severa realized that if she were to have died, Morgan would have no family left.

"I'm sorry," Severa responded as she hugged Morgan back. After Morgan calmed down, Lucina quickly removed the iron ball from Severa's leg with the key on the dead commander.

Their reunion was cut short by the sky darkening and turning a deep shade of red as winds howled around them. Both Lucina and Inigo's eyes widened as they remembered something. The only place in the world where the sky darkened like this was near the Ylissean Castle after Grima took it for himself.

A swirling cloud of darkness appeared before the four and out stepped a man with white hair, a black cloak, and the patterns of six red, eyes underneath his own.

He looked exactly like Severa and Morgan's absent father.

Behind him was a woman, judging by her stature, wearing the same cloak as him but with the hood drawn up to conceal her face.

"Alright you two, your playdate with the Exalt's children is over. Come with me quietly before I have to tell him about his children's asinine behavior." Grima spoke as Severa, Lucina and Inigo all clenched their fists and glared. Morgan was more preoccupied with who this cloaked woman was. "Oh, wait, I can't communicate with the dead. Silly me."

"Drop the act. You're not my father and you will never be half the man that he was." Severa snarled back.

"Ouch. Did your mother teach you to respect your elders while I was gone?" Grima smirked with a grin that was so punchable it almost dumbfounded Severa.

Morgan couldn't even hear the ongoing back-and-forth because she was so perplexed by the mystery standing before her. She stared at her, and the cloaked woman stared back. She couldn't tell who she was through the darkness of her cloak, but she found it so puzzling that it was one of the only things she could focus on.

Said other thing was the iron ball behind her, which she was using her spare hand to levitate with wind magic behind her back. "Now, I'm going to count to three, and I'm afraid that if you don't come back home with me by then, I'm going to have to put my foot down." Grima snapped his fingers, creating a large ball of swirling dark wind in his hand. This puzzled Lucina and Severa, as they had seen members of the Grimleal use this exact spell when they wanted to capture someone without killing them.

Morgan's fingers strained as she continued to slowly lift the ball higher and higher. If she could just raise it a little bit more, then she might be able to interrupt Grima. "One…" Grima spoke. Inigo gulped.

Lucina's eyes shifted back and forth. Their escape was covered by Grima who surely could just fire his magic while their backs were turned in an escape. "Two…"

The shoulders of the Cloaked Woman were tensed, almost as though she was forcing herself to watch something. "Thre-"

With a quick flick of her wrist, Morgan lifted the iron ball above her head and hurled it towards Grima with a blast of wind magic. The ball sailed through the air and hit Grima square in his gut, knocking him over and seemingly taking the wind out of his lungs.

"Run!" Morgan yelled as she grabbed Inigo by the hand and sprinted past Grima and the Cloaked Woman. Severa and Lucina quickly followed behind and ran as fast as they could without sparing a second to turn and look back at Grima.

By the time they knew they were a safe distance away, they paused and all bent over to catch their breath.

"Well… that was… harrowing." Lucina gasped as she doubled over.

"Who the heck was that cloaked woman?" Morgan asked the only question that she seemed to care about. "And why didn't she catch us when we all ran?"

Severa realized that Morgan had a point. The woman in the cloak could've easily blocked their escape, but she did not.

"When we were running, I saw… That woman was helping Grima get the ball off his chest…" Inigo finally spoke after a long pause. "Can we go join the rest of the Herdsmen now?"

"Yes. We just need to stop by the house and grab our thing-" Lucina stopped herself when she noticed that Severa was starting to go pale. Learning that a fanatical god wanted you as a daughter had that effect on people, it seemed.

Severa shut her eyes and collapsed from exhaustion onto the rocky ground. She still felt awake, but she could not move. Her only thought was a question:

Who the hell was that cloaked woman?


	12. S Act I: Footsteps of Fate Part III

Severa's Tale: Act I

Footsteps of Fate

Part III

* * *

Severa groaned as she opened her eyes to reveal the stars dancing in the night sky above against the treetops. She could sit and watch them for hours from the comforts of the sleeping bag she laid in, and she tried to remember how to trace the constellations like her mother did. Unfortunately, she could not identify a single one.

Her arms ached and wavered as she sat upright and observed her surroundings. She could barely see through the dark air, but she was able to discern a figure standing before a tree and seemingly swinging a weapon.

The sounds of Morgan's telltale snoring broke through the sounds of crickets chirping; Severa quickly turned and noticed that she was sleeping next to Inigo and hugging him like she would the body pillows at their house.

Maybe it was best if Severa didn't tell Inigo her sister had a massive crush on him. Or, she could _really_ get under his skin and insinuate that Morgan used to have a crush on him before her eyes settled on someone else, like Owain. This plan would require several things, including bribing Owain, making sure Morgan could lie, and keeping Lucina's goody-two-shoes nature as far away as poss-

"There you are!" Lucina whispered as she patted Severa on the shoulder. She quickly turned around and smiled at her friend, whose blue hair waved in the wind and looked rather nice against the trees of the forest. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just tired is all." Severa responded and noticed beads of sweat trickling down Lucina's forehead. "Were you…"

"Training, yes." Lucina quickly answered as she slowly placed Falchion in its sheath and set it down as though she was handling a child. Considering that was all she had to remember her father…

"At this hour?" Severa raised her eyebrow.

"Yes. After we had that run-in with Grima, I realized how woefully unprepared I am when it comes to facing gods." Lucina laid down in a sleeping bag next to Severa.

"Oh, come on Lucy. You're the best fighter I know, and just because you can't kill a god doesn't mean you should beat yourself up." Severa responded back as she focused on Lucina's beautiful eyes. Like the stars, Severa often found herself lost in their alluring glow, especially her left which contained the Mark of the Exalt.

Severa was so lost that Lucina started to wave her hand in front of her face to get her attention.

"Sev, are you there?" Lucina continued to wave her hands until Severa's eyes focused on her. "Did you get lost in thoughts again? You seem to be doing that a lot lately."

"Y-yeah… Sorry, I was just thinking about last week." Her cheeks burned as she tried to focus on the ground and not Lucina's face.

"I understand. Losing a parent is a very traumatic experience, and if you ever need someone to talk with, I'm here. Kindred spirits and all that."

"Thanks," Severa responded with a smile.

"Now, you should get some sleep. We've got a long walk tomorrow."

"Fine, fine." Severa shut her eyes and tried to roll over to face the other direction, but was stopped and pushed back as though she had tried to roll onto a log. She turned around and noticed that Morgan was laying next to her.

"Inigo's snoring really loud, and I can't stop thinking about mom," Morgan spoke with a sheepish look.

"Just don't bear hug me, okay?" Severa said. "Mother is… in a better place now."

* * *

The following morning came and went as quickly as a fleeting dream. Once they had exited the forest, they had a half a day's march through the barren fields of Ylisse. Destroyed buildings and towns were along the path, but they simply hadn't the time to investigate them for supplies.

Inigo tried to act as motivational support by repeating 'we're almost there' over and over again. Morgan chanted it with him at first, much to Severa's ire, but after the tenth time, she simply grumbled as her shoulders sunk lower and lower with each hour under the hot sun.

"We're mere moments away fro-" Inigo's perky tone reappeared much like a mole popping out of a hole in the ground.

"Shut it," Severa responded as though she was a mole-hunter with a mallet, waiting for any rodents to peek out.

"You know, instead of bickering, we could try singing a marching order to raise morale." Inigo turned his head to glare at Severa as he continued leading the front of the pack.

"If my throat didn't feel like a desert, I would sing." Morgan's voice was so raspy it took the others a moment to recognize it.

"But you're tone deaf." Severa reminded her sister.

"Oh, right…" She coughed. "Do we have any water?" Lucina quickly passed their remaining canteen to Morgan and watched as she gulped it down. Normally, she would ask Morgan to keep some water for the rest of them, but she could see a town in the distance, confirming Inigo's claims.

As they drew closer and closer, it dawned on them that this place was less of a town and more a collection of shacks and other run-down buildings. A wooden sign hung above the front gate that read 'New Ylisstol.'

"This place smells awful." Severa pinched her nostrils with her fingers as they walked down the bustling streets full of ragged men, women, and children. The source of the rotten stench was revealed when they walked past a cart full of corpses being wheeled from house to house.

"Bring out your dead! Bring out your dead!" A hooded man stood in front of the cart, chanting as he shook a bell in the air. Lucina watched with a heavy heart as a disheveled woman shambled out of a nearby house, carrying a small bundle of cloth in her hands.

She pulled the cloth away to reveal a dead newborn whose eyes gave off the impression that the child was asleep rather than departed. "Sorry for your loss, ma'am." The hooded cart-driver bowed as a tear went down the woman's face. She took one last look at her child before wrapping it back up in cloth and gently putting it on the cart.

Whereas Morgan was on the verge of tears after watching the mother shamble away, Lucina, Inigo, and Severa just stood in silence. They had seen enough death in their lifetime to the extent that they felt empathy rather than shock.

"Ah, over the horizon, our new Herdsmen emerge!" A loud voice yelled as Morgan's eyes lit up. At the end of the road stood Owain, Cynthia, and Gerome; Owain was waving his hands frantically as he ran to meet the three. "It is good to see you, Lucina and Inigo." He shook Lucina's hand as his smile stretched across his face. "And you two as well, Severa and Morgan."

"Hi, Owain! Gosh, it's been forever since we last saw each other!" Morgan ran to hug Owain, then hugged Cynthia. "Cynthia! How're you doing?" Before she could answer Morgan had already gone to Gerome. "Hey, big guy!" Severa noticed that despite the run-down nature of the town, Owain's brown hair looked remarkably well-kept.

"Hi, Severa!" Cynthia waved to Severa enthusiastically and she waved back. Cynthia was a close friend of hers while they grew up, but as the years went by they saw less and less of each other.

Inigo and Lucina shook hands with the others and made small talk before Owain brought them to the headquarters of the Herdsmen. It was a rather well-kept house decorated with bright curtains and the symbol of a knight protecting a herd of sheep hanging above the front door. Once they entered the house, the four discovered that it looked like a miniature mansion with a front lobby, a kitchen, and several bedrooms. The rest of the Herdsmen were inside the house doing various chores to help either the house or people around New Ylisstol.

Yarne, Noire, and Kjelle were just about to leave with crates labeled 'rations' to distribute them to the people. Brady, Laurent, and Nah were doing paperwork as Morgan stepped into the dining room. Had it not been for Severa reminding her that they had a meeting to attend with the leaders, Morgan would have spent hours doing paperwork with those three.

The meeting room had a large table and enough chairs for every member of the Herdsmen; Morgan and Severa walked in to hear Gerome's normally-low tone hit a high pitch.

"What do you mean you forgot to bring the Fire Emblem?" He slammed his hands down on the table as Lucina sat opposite him.

"I'm sorry but we were busy hurrying out of the house to grab it," Lucina answered back in a calm voice.

Severa remembered that Olivia had given Cordelia the Fire Emblem, the royal treasure of Ylisse, and that Cordelia had hung it on one of the walls in their house. One would think Severa and the others would remember to grab something that important, but the fact of the matter was that they paid so little mind to it that it was essentially camouflaged against the walls.

"Well, how are the commoners going to react when they hear that the Fire Emblem wasn't brought here by the progeny of the Exalt?" Gerome paced back and forth as he noticed that Severa and Morgan were now present.

"They don't have to hear. We can go back to the house and acquire it." Lucina suggested. Gerome paused and tried to think of a snarky remark, but drew a blank.

"Just be quick about it, okay?" Gerome sighed. "Now who's going with you?"

"I would think it would be Severa, Morgan and my brother."

"We need either you or Inigo here to give speeches to the public. Morale is sinking and there have been whispers of a revolt. If they see the children of the Exalt doing work and helping out the common folk, they can continue to trust us." Gerome looked at the map of the known world that hung on the back wall. "One of you can go and the other must stay."

"It's my fault that I forgot it, so I'll be the one to get it." Lucina stood up. "Severa, Morgan, I trust that you'll accompany me?" She looked to the two who were sitting quietly with their arms folded.

"Actually, I'm feeling kinda tired and I was hoping Severa and I could have a few days to ourselv-" Morgan spoke before Severa covered her mouth.

"Absolutely. We can leave whenever you want." Severa blurted out. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Morgan and I are gonna go and get dinner." Severa grabbed Morgan by the arm and dragged her out of the room, then grabbed a sack of spending gold that had her name on it before they left.

* * *

After wandering the town for a bit, Severa and Morgan found themselves standing in front of a building with a sign that read 'bar' hanging above the door. They entered and it was indeed a restaurant, with several tables set up along with a long wall of drinks behind a wooden bar.

Severa sat down on a stool at the bar and Morgan followed her lead. They both sat for a while before the bartender, who sat in a wheelchair, wheeled his way to them. His legs seemed to be broken.

"Hey, welcome to Holland's Watering Hole. I'm Holland, and how may I help you?" He asked in a gruff voice.

"Gimme your strongest wine," Severa spoke as she hunched over. She had always wanted to try alcohol, much to the dismay of her mother. "Oh, and she'll have a root beer." She pointed to Morgan, who smiled and waved to Holland.

"You don't look a day over eighteen, and you sure as hell don't sound like it, so I'll just make that two root beers." Holland chuckled as he wheeled himself to the tap, leaving Severa to sit and make small talk with Morgan.

"Well, this has been a whirlwind of a week." Severa sighed. "I never got to ask how you feel about it, though." She turned to face Morgan, who hunched over as well.

"Well, when mom passed away, I felt sad. Then when you went missing I felt even worse. But when we found you, I felt really good." Morgan always had a simple way of speaking that Severa liked. It reminded her of a child rather than a fourteen-year-old.

"That's good to hear. I'm just glad that you're holding up alright."

"H-heeeyyyy, bartender…" A slurring voice spoke behind the two and caught their attention. "Whe-" He burped. "Where's my freeee drink? I come here eerrday and I de- demand my free drink!"

Morgan drew her hood up and leaned over. Severa turned around to watch the drunken, shirtless man stagger around the bar.

"Sir, there is no such thing as a free drink policy. Either you pay, or you don't. You can't pay, so either sit quietly or leave." Holland yelled back in an angered tone. This drunken oaf had been showing up every night and demanding a free drink, and Holland was worried that he might try something stupid. "Here's your drinks, girls. Just try and ignore him." Holland whispered as he passed two root beers to Severa and Morgan. Unfortunately, the drunk noticed their drinks.

"Oh, so those two get a drink but I don't?" He yelled. "This is outrageous!"

Morgan's cheeks were bright red and Severa watched as the man staggered closer and closer to her. "Gimme that drink, you bit-" He lunged for Morgan's back with a grasping hand.

Or, he would've, if a clenched fist had not swung into his head and knocked him to the floor. The patrons watched and cheered as Severa cracked her knuckles and stood in front of the man.

"That wasn't very nice of you, was it?" She glared as she spoke. The man's head rolled back and forth in a daze. "Now, what do we say when we do something mean and want to make up for it?" She grabbed him by the hair and looked directly into his furious eyes.

"Go to hell." He spit directly on her face. Without saying a word, Severa swung her fist into his head again, and again, and again. He was down on the floor now as Severa rained blows upon him.

A minute later, the battered and bloody man was thrown out of the bar by a group of angry patrons. Severa went back to her seat as she panted for breath and inspected her bloody knuckles. She then turned to Morgan, who was covering her head with her hood and whimpering.

Severa knew that her sister always hated conflict. Whenever her father and mother had a fight, Morgan would always shut herself in the room and cry until they made up. It was even worse if Severa and Cordelia had gotten into a fight instead.

"You're a gods-damn life-saver." Holland sighed and laughed to himself as he extended his hand to shake Severa's. She silently shook his hand and took a sip of her root beer. "Drinks are on the house."

"T-thank you for saving me." Morgan buried her face in her sister's lap.

"Don't worry about it," Severa responded as she patted Morgan's back.

* * *

After they finished their drinks, Severa and Morgan returned to their new home through the moonlit streets. They were assigned rooms, and Severa happened to be sharing hers with Lucina.

"How was your night?" Lucina asked as Severa entered the room and shut the door behind her.

"Uneventful," Severa responded as she sat on the bed and inspected the faint traces of blood on her knuckles.


	13. S Act I: Footsteps of Fate Part IV

Severa's Tale: Act I

Footsteps of Fate

Part IV

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Ruins_ from _The Legend of Zelda:_ _Breath of the Wild_ when you see one * mark, _Special Stage (JPN/PAL)_ from _Sonic CD_ when you see two ** marks, and _Boss (US)_ from _Sonic CD_ when you see three *** marks.

* * *

The grand hall of the Ylissean Castle was once a beautiful sight, with its ornate decorations and wide space perfect for holding grand balls. However, now the hall was filled with Risen and Ylissean troops fighting with all their might and destroying any trace of the hall's serenity. Lucina and Inigo lead the charge in a desperate attempt to rescue their mother and seemed to be driving the Risen back as they clashed blades.

A chill blast of wind knocked Lucina to the ground right after she cleaved a warrior in two. Inigo quickly helped her back up and looked around to see the corpses of all the troops and the Risen. Straight ahead of them was some black object that had crashed to the floor.

The object moved, and three giant, red circles opened on its side. One of the eyes alone dwarfed Lucina and Inigo in height and width. Lucina knew exactly who this dragon was; this was his abode, after all.

A wheezing laugh echoed from Grima as he began to rise. Lucina and Inigo took several steps back as they stared at his serpent-like head with two horns and six eyes, all of which were focusing on them.

"Your mother and father... are dead," Grima spoke in a low voice as he raised his head back. Lucina pointed her sword at the fiend while Inigo stood at her side. "And now it is your turn!"

Grima lunged his massive jaws as Lucina and Inigo screamed. The sharp rows of blade-like teeth grew closer and closer as Inigo shut his eyes and winced. Lucina remained steadfast as she held her sword out and screamed.

She watched with bated breath as Grima's jaws stopped and hung in the air. His entire body froze and loomed silently above.

A white-haired man appeared atop Grima's head and leaped down to meet Lucina and Inigo. His pupils were blood-red and he had the pattern of the Grimleal on his cloak and face. Lucina remembered this man as her father's best friend and Severa's father.

"You." His voice matched Grima's perfectly. Lucina's hands trembled. "I like you. You've got a fighting spirit." He spoke as he pointed directly at Lucina.

Inigo slowly opened his eyes and was taken aback by Grima's human body. "I'm at a bit of a crossroads right now. Ruling the world is so dreadfully boring when everyone either dies in one blow or rolls over like a domesticated hound. But you..." He walked closer and closer to Lucina. "You're different from the rest." He placed his hand on Falchion and pushed it down with a mere finger while Lucina trembled.

"St-st-stop or I'll-" Her lips shuddered.

"Or you'll what? Bore me to death with your heroic speeches?" Grima's frigid face was now uncomfortably close to Lucina's as he stared at her. "I can see a fire in your eyes. Specifically, your left. A fire that I tried to stamp out eight years ago, but it seems a few embers escaped."

"For gods' sake, just kill us already and be done with it!" Inigo blurted out as he dropped his sword and charged Grima. He swung his clenched fist directly into the dastard's head but felt as though he had punched a stone. Grima stifled a laugh as he watched Inigo shake his bruised hand.

"Kill you?" He continued to laugh. "There's no fun in stomping out an ember before it can engulf a house in flames and spice up my daily tedium."

Grima's human body stood upright and the whites of his eyes were revealed as his dragon form began to move. "Now run. Leave this place and give me something to think about!" His booming voice echoed from the dragon.

Lucina and Inigo quickly turned around and scrambled away as fast as their legs could will it as Grima's bellowing laugh echoed behind. "Thus marks the end of the Exalted bloodline! Not with a yell, but with a screaming pair of children!"

* * *

Lucina took a sharp wheeze of breath as her eyes opened, revealing the curtains of her and Severa's room drifting in the breeze. Again, that accursed memory haunted her dreams as a painful reminder of her failure. She had seen it play out over and over again, and had taken to memorizing all the cues in it. Grima's snarl he made before he lunged, the panicked mannerisms of her brother, the list went on...

Her mind drifted to more pressing matters. She had spent a few days coming back to this room and growing adjusted to it, yet her mind was still thrown for a loop whenever she woke up and tried to find some familiar objects from her room at Severa's house.

The only thing that she recognized was Severa, who looked rather serene in her sleep in a sharp contrast to her increasingly-furious attitude. She and Morgan were so frustrated by the identity of the Cloaked Women, who had become the talk of the town. Rumors abound that she had taken down one-hundred men in one battle, and had even killed the remnants of the Ylissean Pegasus Knights.

Judging by how imposing she appeared when they met, Lucina was in no mind to doubt these statements. Severa had begun to plan on hunting her down and making her pay for what she's done. If anything, it reminded Lucina of how deep her hatred for Grima was.

" _Today's the day I need to go find the Fire Emblem…_ " Lucina sighed as she got dressed and looked at Severa. She didn't deserve to be drawn into the world of Lucina's revenge. Neither did Morgan, or any of her friends.

" _I am supposed to provide for others, not be provided for. It is my duty as the Exalt._ " Lucina thought. She should be the one to go retrieve the Emblem. _By herself_.

Lucina took one last glance at Severa before she shut the door and left the house. She'd get the message, and hopefully, she would understand Lucina's plight. What Lucina didn't realize was that Severa's eyes were open and she had sprung out of bed after the door was shut.

The normally bustling streets of New Ylisstol were now sparse as Lucina felt the warmth of morning dew on her boots. The few people she passed gave her odd looks as they focused on her left eye and kept walking. They didn't even have to speak to make their contempt known.

" _How could you let this happen?_ " One man's look told her.

" _You're a disgrace to Chrom's name_." Another look tore into her thoughts.

" _My family died for your selfish needs_."

Lucina clenched her fists and picked up her pace. She stared at the road because at least that didn't have some hurtful truth to scream at her. Every day she would be reminded of the soldiers lost in her attempt to rescue her mother and how their deaths were her fault.

She needed to think of something to distract her. Maybe some history about the town and how it was built by the survivors of Ylisstol, or how-

"Hey, Lucy! Wait up!" Severa's familiar voice broke the silence of the streets. Her footsteps grew louder and louder from behind as Lucina's vision began to blur. Severa did not state her disappointment with her, but Lucina could sense it. It was enough to send her over the brink. "Did you try and ditch me?"

Lucina slowly turned around and Severa noticed her teary eyes. "Hey, don't cry." Without saying a word, Severa embraced her friend and felt her tears run down her shoulder.

"Severa, please unhand me." Lucina meekly tried to push Severa away but was unable to break her iron grip.

"Why?" Severa protested as she tightened her hold.

"Not here in public." Lucina eventually pulled her head out of Severa's hug and wiped her eyes. A beacon for the masses cannot topple; it needs to remain strong through all types of hardship. "Let's go get breakfast and we can set out after that."

"O-okay…" Severa was confused by how quickly Lucina was able to change her expression from pained to neutral, but there was no point protesting.

* * *

*Many survivors who had accustomed to the new apocalyptic style of life would often write about their exploits, barely getting by and making ends meet with whatever they could scrounge. One question they all had was rather simple:

What remained of Ylisse? Was it the people, who had banded together and made their own Ylisstol? Was it the ruins of the many towns that were home to supplies waiting to be found? Was it the Risen, who roamed the barren fields in packs like wolves and viciously attacked any who dared cross paths with them?

Was it the ruined Ylissean Castle that loomed on the horizon like a reminder of an age passed? If so, then the Fell Dragon roosted on the castle seemed to represent the new overtaking the old. Or maybe, what remained of Ylisse was the air of tranquility that the fields had?

Severa and Lucina had often discussed what their interpretations of this question were. They brought it up again as they walked out of New Ylisstol and into the expansive plains. Severa had long argued that it was the families of Ylisse that remained, and Lucina started to agree with her more and more as time went on.

The two walked in silence for a while, not because there was nothing to say, but because they didn't know _how_ to say what was on their mind. Severa was desperate to know why her best friend was crying in the middle of the road, and Lucina needed to understand why Severa kept insisting on following her to the ends of the world.

Severa eventually blurted her question out after ten minutes passed; Lucina sighed and explained her view of herself. She was born to be a leader, and a leader must not show weakness.

Severa shook her head and suggested that she'd rather a human leader than an emotionless stone, but Lucina shook her head and said that most people weren't as smart as Severa.

By the time the sun had reached the middle of the sky, their stomachs began to growl and grumble. They needed lunch, but they had brought none. They had brought tents and swords, but no meals.

They continued to march against their hunger, passing by empty riverbeds and ruined farms, until they came upon the edge of a forest. It was not the forest they needed to pass through, but it was home to all sorts of wildlife. Birds, squirrels, and the most important of all: deer.

They both decided they were in the mood for venison as they eyed up a deer grazing around the edge of the forest and began to sneak up on it. Unfortunately for them, the deer noticed their advance and bolted away. Severa flailed her arms and swore like a sailor as she attempted to tackle it but was not fast enough.

So they marched on, grumbling and hungry until they spied a ruined house that might have some stored food they could loot.

* * *

Dust was shaken off the door of the house as Severa slowly pried it open. She coughed as she stepped inside for the layers upon layers of dust inside the decrepit house resembled a cake layered with frosting. She exhaled a quick snort through her nose and kicked up a large circle of dust on the floor as Lucina stepped in.

"How long do you think this place has been abandoned?" She asked as Severa started to search around the small house. Her eyes focused on the kitchen cupboards, which took some strength to force open. Alas, they were as barren as Severa's stomach. Severa groaned as she slammed her hand on a counter and threw a large clump of dust in the air.

"Long enough where the jerks who lived here didn't understand how to store food!" She yelled. "Of course that stupid deer wouldn't lie down and die like the dumb animal it is!"

"Let's not lose our heads here, okay?" Lucina placed a hand on Severa's shoulder as she leaned onto the counter. "I'm as frustrated as you are, but we must keep our chins up."

A chill went down Severa's spine as she stood upright. The hairs on her body stood on edge as she faintly heard a whisper.

Her feet moved on their own as she walked past the table and stood before a small, purple object on the ground. It resembled a small liquid, like gelatin, as it wiggled and waved on the floor. Frigid winds seemed to emanate from it.

Her growling stomach felt as though it would collapse at any moment, which threw any sense of self-preservation out the window as Severa touched the purple goo to investigate it. Her fingertip felt as though it was melting as she grabbed the object without thinking and held it to her chest.

Her eyes shut as the goo melted into her skin and made her feel as though she had woken up from a day-long nap.

* * *

**When Severa awoke, her eyes were bombarded with all sorts of vivid colors dancing in the sky like a melting rainbow. Her entire body tingled and felt fuzzy as she got to her feet and held her throbbing forehead. She had no idea where she was, and the last thing she remembered was absorbing some strange goo out of desperation.

She stood in the middle of a vibrant, swirling plain. The grass danced and waved in the air while the floor itself swirled like moving water. In front of her was a pack of animals grazing against the brightly-colored horizon.

Upon closer inspection, they were actually amalgamations of candy and treats that were arranged to look like deer, with caramelized antlers and fudge bodies. Drool began to drip down Severa's lips as she stared at them, and her legs began to move on her own. She got down on all fours and began to chase the deer like she was a hound.

Normally, she would be questioning how she could maintain her balance on her hands and legs, but her grumbling stomach was so loud that it blocked all her thoughts. Her fingernails tore through oddly-colored dirt as she continued to chase after the animals.

Her eyes focused on one in particular that had broken away from the fleeing pack and she continued to give chase. She was gaining on the candied animal now; she could smell the delicious aroma of cake.

She lunged through the air with a scream as she tackled the deer and knocked it to the floor. She plunged her jaws into the neck of the animal and tore out its frosted jugular vein. She took a large bite out of the succulent flesh and felt its nutrients pour into her stomach, easing her thoughts and hunger. She threw it aside and began to tear into the sweet flesh of the animal.

Her ears perked up as she heard the sounds of breathing resound from behind her. She turned around and noticed a nondescript outline of a person waving its hands at her.

Severa's mind began to race as she slowly approached the person, sizing it up and determining what it wanted with her. Was it a friend? Was it a thief come to steal her prey?

She determined that it was not a friend given how much the person was staring at her meal, and she decided to take down this thief before it could steal her food. She charged the person and tackled them to the ground as they tried to push her back. She gnashed her teeth and lunged at its head as they laid on the ground and struggled.

"Sev! Severa, stop it!" Lucina's voice pounded her eardrums. She paused; her vision began to blur and shake as she pulled her head back. The outline of a person began to grow features, like long, blue hair and a symbol on their left eye.

The world around her began to change as Severa quickly scrambled off of Lucina. The sky turned back to its orange glow and the fields became a constant shape. "What… What the hell was that?" Lucina's distressed voice rang in Severa's ears. She felt an iron-like taste in her mouth; it reminded her of whenever she got a papercut and tried to cover the wound with her mouth to prevent blood from leaving her body.

"Lucina…? Why do I feel full?" Severa asked as Lucina got to her feet and dusted herself off. "Did I…"

"You attacked me." She responded with a fearful look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry! I don't know what happened and I swear I'll never do it agai-" Severa panicked and noticed that Lucina was shakily pointing her finger behind Severa.

Severa turned around and was greeted by the sight of a dead deer with blood seeping out of a gash in its neck and a half-eaten jugular by its side. Lucina then held up her sword so Severa could see a reflection of herself and see the blood trickling down her chin.

The only thought Severa could articulate was a scream of disgust and horror as she grabbed Lucina's water canteen and tried to wash the blood off her taste buds.

* * *

After watching Severa collapse and writhe on the dusty floor, Lucina shrieked in panic and assumed Severa must be getting an allergic reaction to something in the house. She grabbed her unconscious friend by the armpits and dragged her out of the house to the spacious outside, then placed a hand on Severa's forehead as she laid on the grass.

***Her forehead felt like a flame as Lucina pulled her hand back and waited with bated breath as Severa began to move. Her eyes slowly began to open, except something was very wrong with them. The whites of her eyes were now pitch-black and her pupils a deep crimson. Underneath each of her eyes was a pattern of two more slanted eyes, similar to Grima's human form.

Severa examined her surroundings and glossed over Lucina as her eyes focused on a herd of deer in the distance. She crouched on all fours like a beast and tore off, ripping up clumps of dirt and grass behind her as she sped off. Lucina ran after her as fast as she could but to no use. Severa was simply moving at what seemed to be thrice Lucina's running speed.

Lucina watched in horror as Severa leaped through the air with her back legs and collided with a deer, knocking it to the ground and sinking her teeth into the deer's neck. The deer jolted and spasmed as Severa pinned it to the floor and watched the life drain out of its eyes.

Lucina stood there in shocked silence, watching as her friend bit into the deer's wounds and ate its flesh. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out what had happened to her. To her horror, Severa turned around and focused on her with those beady red eyes of hers. She left her prey and began to slowly circle Lucina, biding her time, sizing her up.

Like a wolf examining a hunter.

Lucina braced her arms as Severa pounced on her, sending both of them tumbling to the floor in a heap. Severa gnashed her teeth and tried to bite Lucina, but was pushed back by Lucina holding her by the forehead, leaving Lucina to stare into the void of Severa's eyes.

"Sev! Severa, stop it!" Lucina's heart was beating out of her chest as her adrenaline surged. Severa stopped and drew back. She had a puzzled look as she got to her feet, and her look shifted to distress as her eyes lost their nightmarish look. "What… What the hell was that?"

"Lucina…? Why do I feel full?" Severa asked as Lucina got to her feet and dusted herself off. The pattern on her face was now gone. "Did I…"

"You attacked me." She responded with a fearful tone.

"I'm sorry! I don't know what happened and I swear I'll never do it agai-" Severa panicked, Lucina braced as she stepped closer and pointed to the deer corpse behind her.  
Severa turned around and then back to Lucina, who held up her sword so Severa could see a reflection of herself and see the blood trickling down her chin.

Severa let out a scream of disgust and horror as she grabbed Lucina's water canteen and began to feverishly wash her face with it. While Lucina waited for her friend to calm down, she noticed something odd on the horizon.

The ruins of the Ylissean Castle stood as a landmark throughout the land, and Grima was normally coiled around it like a serpent hanging from a tree. Now, however, he was gone.

On the prowl. Hunting for something, or someone.


	14. S Act I: Footsteps of Fate Part V

Severa's Tale: Act I

Footsteps of Fate

Part V

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Vs. Titan & Big Mother _from _Sonic Unleashed_ when you see one * mark, and _Torn from the Heavens_ from _Final Fantasy XIV_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

Neither Severa or Lucina could stomach to eat after that bloody event as they walked in silence. They did skin the meat from the deer and put it in a sack for storage, but they couldn't handle looking at it without feeling ill.

Severa broke the silence after an hour to apologize, again, but Lucina insisted that she had no fault in what had occurred. Severa explained how that mysterious substance in the house was what triggered her berserk-like state, which prompted Lucina to describe the patterns that appeared on Severa's face. Severa mumbled as she heard this and cursed her blood, as she presumed this had something to do with Grima's blood that she inherited from her father.

They made it to the forest that Severa remembered from a few days ago before they set up camp and started a fire. Their hunger grew with each moment they spent watching the venison cook over the crackling fire.

"I neeeeeeed it…" Severa moaned as she laid on her back amidst the trees that stretched into the night sky. She couldn't care less that her white hair was being sullied by the dirt and leaves on the ground. Lucina simply nodded without speaking as she slowly cooked the meat on a stick.

" _Maybe food poisoning is not so bad after all…_ " She pondered as her stomach growled like an enraged bear.

As they waited in agony, Severa's delirious mind began to wander and ask more personal questions.

"Hey… Lucy, do you think I'm good at fighting?" Severa's voice trailed off.

"Yes. You're as good as I am with a sword." Lucina turned to face her friend.

"If you say so…" Severa knew that Lucina had a bias towards her, but her words still had some merit.

"Can I ask you something?" Lucina didn't even wait for a reply. "Why are you so abrasive towards Inigo?"

"Because I don't like him," Severa responded in a cold tone. "He's annoyingly optimistic and always trying to get into some air-headed maiden's pants."

"That was one time, and we all need some optimism these days. He feels awful about how he mocked you in class, and he wants to be friends with you." Lucina watched as the glare in Severa's eyes shifted down; she looked rather upset. "Can you allow him a chance?"

Severa paused. If Inigo understood that what he did was wrong, then maybe she could give him a second chance at friendship.

"Okay. I'll do it, for you and him."

By the time Lucina deemed the venison was safe for consumption, Severa and Lucina both wolfed their shares of the meat down in a matter of minutes. They groaned and leaned back on their fallen log seats afterward while their stomachs ached. "I regret… nothing…" Lucina groaned as she covered her mouth. She remembered how her mother had taught her to chew her food and eat slowly, but such precautions were thrown to the wind when faced with hunger.

"I'd rather feel like I'm going to throw up then feel like I'm going to starve, but still…" Severa's stomach felt like it might rupture like a balloon. "I have to go to the-" Her stomach began to act up. " _Ohhh here it comes…_ " Her panicked thoughts pounded her ears as she hurriedly got up. "I have to go to the bathroom!" She scrambled to her feet and behind a group of trees as Lucina watched in displeasure.

Her stomach writhed as she heard the sound of Severa hurling echoed throughout the forest. The heaving sound she made with every gasp, the squish of her chunks hitting the floor, the-

It all became too much for Lucina as she covered her ears with her hands and hummed to herself, desperate to block out the disgusting noises. She felt as though she was submerged in water but she found it preferable to the alternative.

A few minutes passed before Severa stepped out from behind a tree with an unsettled look on her face. "Sorry." Her cheeks were bright red.

"Sometimes our bodies are our greatest enemies." Lucina tried to emphasize that she thought nothing less of Severa as she handed her a cloth to wipe her mouth with.

A few minutes of small talk passed before a faint chill went down their backs. The hairs on their arms stood on edge as they felt a blast of cold wind hit them like a wyvern tackling an unlucky soldier.

The fire was snuffed out as they got to their feet and panicked, which was compounded by the sky itself being blocked out by some gigantic object soaring in the sky. The area went pitch-black; it was so dark that neither of them could see their fingers as they held them up to their face.

A roar echoed through the area; it resembled the screams of an unknown amount of souls writhing in agony. Lucina recognized the roar; she had only heard it once but it was enough to etch that moment into her memory.

The day she stormed the Ylissean Castle to rescue her mother.

Grima flapped his feathery wings as he flew by above. His massive frame soon left the skies above the forest, leaving Severa and Lucina with a regained sight in the dark thanks to the moon. But the light of the moon revealed that they were flanked on all sides by a squad of Risen, whose beady red eyes locked onto them like a pack of hunters stalking prey.

Lucina tensed her muscles and unsheathed her sword as she noticed something land on it. She held the blade up and inspected a small purple gelatin-like substance that wiggled on it with a purple coloration. She looked around and noticed that more were falling from the sky in Grima's wake, but simply bounced off Lucina like snowflakes sliding off a roof.

Severa screamed as she frantically waved her hands around. Lucina quickly turned around and noticed that the purple substance was also falling onto Severa, catching on her white hair and her clothing. But instead of falling off of her, instead, it seemed to be melting into her skin and creating a purple glow around her body.

She doubled over as she screamed; more and more of the Grima flakes dropped onto her. Soon enough she was covered in a pile of them.

The Risen began to slowly advance, although they seemed nervous as they stared at the large, purple pile. "Severa?" Lucina asked as she stepped closer and closer to the pile.

*The pile exploded and sent chunks of the flakes in every direction as Severa burst from within it and into a running sprint towards a rather unlucky Risen. She drew her blade and rammed it into his chest, knocking him to the ground as she pulled it from his gut and drove it again through his head.

Lucina's heart sank when she noticed that Severa's red eyes were back, and as was the mark of Grima underneath them. She watched as Severa bashed another Risen in the nose with her hilt, then cut his head off as he knelt in a dazed position.

One by one, Severa dispatched the Risen, with each death being more gruesome than the last. She leaped atop one and rode its shoulders before stabbing its chest, dived underneath another one with her sword aimed upright as she sliced through it, and Lucina swore that she saw Severa spin like a whirlwind before cutting two Risen in the neck.

Severa was such a threat to the Risen that they exclusively targeted her, but to no avail as she dodged and weaved through their strikes. They paid no mind to Lucina, but the same didn't ring true for Severa.

Lucina's eyes widened as she watched Severa turn her head to face her. Fear gripped her joints as Severa's eyes focused on her and her sword, then sprinted at her with a yell. "Severa, stop!" Lucina yelled in desperation as Severa grew closer and closer. It was all she had left to do, and silly as though it may sound, maybe it could indeed stop her.

Severa stopped directly in front of Lucina with a pained expression. Her eyes began to shake and she clutched her head. Whatever Lucina did must have worked, so she continued. "Focus on me, Sev! I'm right here! Focus! On! Me!"

Lucina continued to chant as Severa fell to the ground. Her breathing slowed from panicked to calm. Her eyes focused on Lucina, and something strange happened.

She smiled. Not the smile of a hunter trying to fake out their target, but the genuine kind of smile one would give a friend. The irises in her eyes went back to white, but her red pupils remained. As did the mark of Grima underneath her eyes, but Lucina could care less about that as Severa stood up.

**In Severa's eyes, there was something that had been missing whenever she gained this affliction. Something compassionate. Something that was normally in her eyes. Something _human_.

"Sorry about that. I... don't know what came over me." Severa sighed and patted Lucina on the shoulder with a smile. "But let's drive these walking corpses back. Together."

"I'm with you," Lucina reassured her friend, then charged by her side towards the remaining Risen.

Severa felt a spring in her step as she lead the charge toward the Risen. Her legs felt as though she could run laps around the massive Ylissean Castle in a matter of minutes, and her arms felt strong enough to lift said castle. She already began to love her newfound strength as she kicked an undead myrmidon in the shins, knocking him to the ground and leaving him prone to Lucina's chest-piercing stab.

The two continued on, dodging and weaving through attacks and taking down the Risen soldiers with relative ease. There seemed to be a rhythm to combat where Severa would conduct the downfalls of the troops and Lucina would orchestrate it with her blade as a figurative instrument.

"Lucy! Think you can take this one?" Severa asked as she ducked underneath the ax of a warrior and swung her left fist into his jaw.

"Understood!" Lucina responded as Severa side-stepped with incredible speed, leaving the Risen open to a ramming attack by Lucina.

The battle continued for a good while. More Risen remained, yet they seemed to adopt a cautious approach to battle. Lucina found that puzzling, but her mind was perplexed by something else.

The markings underneath Severa's face were gone along with her glowing eyes, but her bravado remained. She seemed even more emboldened as she charged what seemed to be the leader head-on, only to bait out a swing from his weapon and deliver a stab to his gut.

Purple haze billowed out of the leader's mouth as it stared at Severa; the red eyes on its mask faded away as it slumped over on her blade. The other Risen scrambled away and off into the darkness past the trees, leaving Severa and Lucina to pant for breath as they sheathed their swords.

"That fared well," Lucina spoke as she patted Severa on the shoulder. "What happened to you with those flakes?"

"When I got covered by those… things, I went back to that weird rainbow place. I saw things that wanted to hurt me, so I killed them. It wasn't until I heard your voice that I snapped out of it." Severa spoke as she sat down on the fallen log and looked dejectedly at the barren campfire.

Lucina nodded her head and sat next to Severa. It seemed she was right in suspecting this form had something to do with Grima. At least now there was an indicator. If her eyes were black, then she was not in control of herself.

"The next time that happens, just take deep breaths and try to calm down. You might be able to fight it off and stay in control." Lucina suggested.

"I'll try." Severa yawned. "Did I do well?"

"When you killed their leader, you didn't even have your powers! You're amazing in combat, with or without your supernatural abilities!" Lucina beamed with delight as Severa blushed and turned away.

"Oh, cut it out." Severa's voice trailed off as she grabbed a sleeping bag from their backpack.

* * *

By the time they exited the forest the following morning, a thick fog rolled around the clearing, but Severa could still see what they came here for. Like a scattered memory in the back of her mind, _it_ lingered in the distance through the fog.

Her house.

With slow footsteps as though she was inside a shrine to Naga, Severa stepped through the front door of her home and felt a sensation of nostalgia shoot through her. She remembered all the days she spent romping around on the carpet and playing with her parents. She remembered the day she spent waiting for her parents to come home, only for her mother to come back by herself. She remembered the day she yelled at her mother before she died in battle.

Tears began to well in her eyes before Lucina stepped in behind her. She wiped her eyes with her arm; she felt comfortable crying around Lucina, but this was something else.

"This place is giving me chills," Lucina said. "I'll go find the Emblem, and if you want to wait outside, I understand."

"I'll be fine," Severa spoke after a pause. Her eyes drifted around the familiar scenery, like the end table with-

Cordelia's wedding ring rested on the table, untouched and with a thin layer of dust building over it. Another reminder of days gone by. With a heavy heart, Severa picked the ring up and placed it on her finger.

Without saying a word, Severa went to her bedroom, leaving Lucina to search the house. She went from room to room, checking the walls to find the brown glow of the Fire Emblem. Eventually, she found it hanging on a wall in Cordelia's room. Four of the slots in it were filled, with the empty slot in the top left sticking out like a blemish on an otherwise spotless masterpiece.

She took the Emblem off the wall and held it in her hands. She could see her face in its reflective glow, and she did not see herself. She saw the Hero-King, Marth, staring back at her. A symbol of hope and peace, whose legendary blade and shield were now in Lucina's possession.

His name alone was enough to instill hope in the masses, and Lucina's mind began to race. If she could rally the people using his name and possessions, they might follow her cause.

After deciding on how to use the Hero-King's name, Lucina came back into the main room to see Severa looking rather distressed. "Did you see a stuffed bear with a heart?"

"No," Lucina spoke as she inspected the Fire Emblem, which rested on her right arm as a shield. Severa lowered her head and scowled. That stuffed animal was a gift from her father, the last one he gave her before he disappeared. She made sure that it was always in her room at all times, but now it was gone. She had searched the room completely, but it was nowhere to be found.

Someone had entered her house while she was gone and taken the bear. Not the gods-damned Fire Emblem, but the stuffed bear.

Severa stomped her foot and questioned why the world seemed to hate her.


	15. S Act I: Footsteps of Fate Part VI

Severa's Tale: Act I

Footsteps of Fate

Part VI

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Stardust Speedway Bad Future (JPN/PAL)_ from _Sonic CD_ when you see one * mark, and _Vs. Ridley_ from _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

The fog from before remained over the area outside the house as Severa and Lucina stepped outside. They made their way towards the forest in the distance that was barely visible from the fog, but they could still make their way towards it as though it were a lantern in the darkness.

Footsteps echoed in their ears as they stopped. The hairs on their body stood up as they turned around. They could only see a short distance ahead, but they still felt like they were being watched. Lucina's heartbeat began to accelerate as she discerned a red pattern floating above the ground, glowing and dimming in a rhythm like a beating heart.

The fog dissipated to reveal two people, both wearing identical cloaks, standing dangerously close to Severa and Lucina. One of them had the red pattern on his face.

"Well, I'm impressed you made it this far, Severa, but I'm afraid your little hissy-fit ends today," Grima spoke as the Cloaked Woman stood at his side. Severa glared at both of them.

Grima's eyes focused on the shield resting on Lucina's left arm; his eyes widened and gained a look neither of them had seen them gain before: fear. "It seems the embers have found some kindling…" His mind began to race as he questioned what exactly those damned children could do with that accursed shield.

Grima patted the Cloaked Woman on the back as he took a few steps back. "You know what to do." He whispered into her ear; Lucina swore that she heard the words 'Grima' and 'Emblem' come from his mouth.

"Lucy…" Severa began to cautiously back off as the Cloaked Woman started to imposingly walk forward. All of her elaborate plans to catch the Cloaked Woman and reveal her identity were shattered the instant she started to approach. Similar to how a child would claim they are not afraid of the dark, but hide in their parents' bed the instant night fell.

"Run," Lucina spoke as her eyes nervously darted from side to side. Her eyes then focused on a necklace dangling on the Cloaked Woman's chest that threw her mind for a loop.

Around her neck was a small purple orb that seemed to be just the right size to fit into the missing slot on the Fire Emblem. "Wait, no! She has the missing gemstone!" Severa quickly glanced from the shield on Lucina's arm to the Cloaked Woman's necklace to confirm Lucina's statement, then drew her sword as she advanced.

*"Sorry, lady, but you have something of ours..." Severa mumbled as the Cloaked Woman watched her approach. Lucina followed from behind as they both charged the mysterious figure with a yell.

With one quick motion, the Cloaked Woman jerked her elbow into Severa's nose and sent her stumbling backward in a daze. She grabbed the hilt of Severa's sword and effortlessly pried it from her fingers as though they were coated with butter. Severa glared at her as she sat on the ground and watched the Cloaked Woman inspect her blade.

She tossed the sword aside and simply turned to stare at Severa in an unnerving manner. The darkness of her veil could not be pierced, leaving Severa to wonder why exactly she hid her identity. Was her face burned and scarred? Was she some sort of half human/half dragon cross breed?

Was she someone Severa knew?

Lucina charged the Cloaked Woman with her blade down by her side, but the Cloaked Woman sidestepped her lunge. She punched Lucina by the side of her face and sent her tumbling to the ground, then leaned over her. She grabbed the Fire Emblem and struggled to pull it off of Lucina's arm, for it was tied around by a strap.

"Unhand me!" Lucina pushed the Cloaked Woman away by her head, but her hood refused to fall down as though it was held in place. The Cloaked Woman could easily cut her arm off and take the Emblem that way, but she seemed to attack her and Severa non-lethally, which puzzled Lucina. She struggled against the Cloaked Woman as the Emblem began to slide down her arm, but was unable to match her strength.

Severa got to her feet and attempted to tackle the Cloaked Woman, but was stopped by her free hand pushing Severa back by the forehead. Severa struggled to get closer and closer against the palm of the Cloaked Woman's hand, but could not beat her strength.

A sigh echoed from the Cloaked Woman's head as she pushed Severa away, sending her tumbling on the ground and against several rocks and twigs. Lucina tried to grab the gemstone from the Cloaked Woman's neck but was swatted away by her free hand.

Severa began to cough furiously as she got up and dusted herself off, then noticed that Lucina was still pinned down by the Cloaked Woman, who was sliding the Emblem down her arm. She was going to have the Emblem, their journey had been for naught, and Grima was likely going to kill them.

What else could Severa do but cry as she stood up? She wailed as she looked up to the skies above and felt utterly hopeless.

The Cloaked Woman paused and stopped pinning Lucina to the ground. She got to her feet and slowly walked to Severa. Severa watched with fear in her eyes as the Cloaked Woman stood before her.

"Please don't hit me…" Severa winced and mumbled as the Cloaked Woman held her in an embrace. She felt an unusual warmth emanate from the Cloaked Woman and felt her hand pat her on the head.

"What the hell are you doing?" Grima, who had been watching the fight from the side, screamed. "Grab Severa, now!" The Cloaked Woman simply stood there, continuing to hold Severa against her chest.

Severa watched out of the corner of her eye that Lucina was sneaking behind the Cloaked Woman towards the forest. Only when Lucina stood right before the forest and give a wink to Severa did she move.

In the blink of an eye, Severa slipped underneath the arms of the Cloaked Woman and sprinted away with Lucina. Although she seemed confused, the Cloaked Women quickly sprang after them, desperately trying to catch up.

She seemed to be a poor runner, as Severa and Lucina were able to slip into the forest before she could grab them. "Why did you let them escape?" Grima's yelling could be heard through the sounds of the forest as Severa and Lucina ran as fast as they could while weaving between the trees. They stopped and bent over to catch their breath.

"Why did she… hug you…" Lucina's arms felt sore after having to fight the Cloaked Woman off.

"I wish I knew…" Severa responded as her mind raced. Fear gripped her thoughts as to why this mysterious figure held her.

A foul screech echoed through the area and broke the silence of the tranquil forest. They both scrambled behind a tree and sat with bated breath. Grima must have released some monster into the woods to chase them.

The sound of a fire crackling made their ears perk up, and they both realized that they felt very, very hot. They looked around to see a massive fire spreading from their sides and around the forest.

**Their vision became blocked by a wall of flame, and when it dissipated, Grima stood before them with eyes full of nothing but black. Behind him, the whole forest was revealed to be on fire.

Grima laughed to himself before screeching again, causing Severa and Lucina to get back to their feet and sprint away through the burning forest. Beads of sweat trickled down their foreheads as they ran past sweltering flames. They could hear Grima close behind, leaves and twigs crunched underneath his boots.

"Kill!" He screamed. He continued to chant the word 'kill' as he gained on them. The sky had turned a deep red from the flames as smog filled Severa and Lucina's lungs. A flaming tree toppled to the ground behind them, creating a barrier that separated them from Grima.

Severa and Lucina continued to sprint away as the heat from the forest fire continued to bear down on them. Severa stumbled and tripped to the scorched ground as Lucina stopped to help her up.

"Ow!" Severa held her leg as she felt a stinging pain in it. "Go on without me! I'll just slow you down!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Lucina pleaded and begged Severa to get up, but she simply couldn't without yelping and falling back down.

"Lucina, you need to take the Emblem and get out of here! I'm insignificant in the grand scheme of our lives; you're not!" Severa's eyes began to tear up as well as Lucina's. Her blue hair stood in contrast to the bright, burning background.

"I…" Lucina could not leave her friend to die; there had to be some other way.

"Just go!" Severa pushed Lucina away as a tree started to topple nearby.

Lucina ran back and watched in horror as a tree fell, blocking Severa from her vision. Severa's screams echoed throughout Lucina's ears as she continued to run through the forest; she cursed that her tears could not put out the fires.

Her legs seemed to move on their own as Lucina ran past the burning trees. A cave loomed in the distance; sanctuary amidst the fires of hell. She ran into the cave and continued to run through the dark cavern. She couldn't even discern her own hands from the walls as she held them up, but she couldn't care less.

Her fatigue got the better of her as she collapsed against the cold wall of the cave. She couldn't see the burning forest outside, both from how deep she was in the cave and her head being buried in her arms.

" _First my father, then mother, and now my best friend…_ " Her weeps echoed against the walls of the cavern. How was she going to tell Morgan? How was she going to forget Severa? How was she going to move on?

All Lucina could think of was Severa, and she continued to think about her until she heard the sound of footsteps. They were getting closer and closer as Lucina's heartbeat climbed.

Barely discernible from the darkness of the cave was the Cloaked Woman, who stood before Lucina with something in her arms. She paused, as though she was observing Lucina, then placed the object down next to Lucina. She winced as she thought the Cloaked Woman meant her harm, but it seemed that the Cloaked Woman had something else in mind.

Lucina's eyes widened as she noticed that it was Severa who had been in the Cloaked Woman's arms, and her chest was rhythmically inhaling and exhaling. She was _alive_. "T-thank you…" Lucina cried tears of joy as she hugged Severa. The Cloaked Woman nodded and watched as Severa began to stir.

Grima's screech sounded from outside the cave; Severa began to moan and turn in her unconscious state. The Cloaked Woman held her finger up to where her mouth would be as if indicating that they should wait and be quiet. She then began to walk towards the entrance of the cave, leaving Severa and Lucina in the cave.

Grima screamed again, then a bright, purple flash pulsated from outside and briefly illuminated the cave.

"Oh, gods did I…" Grima's voice echoed from outside. "I… I'm so sorry. We need to figure out a way to stop this…" Lucina's mind raced as to what was afflicting Grima.

"Lucy…?" Severa groaned as she woke up. "I thought I died…"

Lucina simply responded with silence as she hugged her friend, then got to her feet. She poked her head out of the cave and saw layers upon layers of ash coating the once-lively forest.

Severa stepped out from behind her and was in a similar state of dumbfoundment. "Where'd Grima and his cloaked friend go?" Lucina noticed that Grima and the Cloaked Woman were indeed gone.

* * *

By the time Lucina and Severa returned to New Ylisstol, Gerome was waiting at the front gate with an uncharacteristically bright smile on his face.

"You were successful, I presume?" Gerome asked and was answered by Lucina holding up the Fire Emblem. "Excellent. May I ask why your clothing is stained with ash?" Severa noticed that the tan parts of her outfit had a noticeable layer of charcoal covering them. The other parts likely were covered in ash as well, it just wasn't as noticeable.

"Forest fire," Severa responded with a tired tone as she looked up at the moon hanging in the night sky. Gerome proceeded to lead Lucina to a podium set up in the middle of the town where she could deliver a rousing speech, while Severa decided that she had gone through enough today and could use a drink.

Lucina said that Severa had a very rough day and that she deserved some time off, so she didn't mind that Severa wasn't there for her speech. Severa reassured her that she would do well, and that was what mattered.

"Is this seat taken?" Inigo asked as Severa sat at Holland's bar with a root beer in her hands. Severa would've told him to buzz off on instinct, but she remembered what Lucina had asked last night.

"Go ahead," Severa said as Inigo seated himself on a stool next to her. They sat in silence after Inigo asked Holland for some water.

"Do you hate me?" Inigo asked. Severa was taken aback by how blunt he was.

"...No." Severa would've been truthful with him, but she had discovered recently that his feelings should matter to her. "I don't hate you. I'm just frustrated with how you used to be."

"I see…" Inigo paused as he thanked Holland and took a sip of his water. "I really am… sorry, about how cruel I was to you when we were growing up. Some nights I lay awake wondering if we could've been somewhere else, had I not been a brute."

Severa couldn't help but feel remorse for Inigo. She would sometimes stay up at night as well, wondering what would've been different if Inigo had accepted her confession of love. "If you're frustrated with how I used to be, then maybe we can start over. Would you like to be friends?"

Severa paused for a while, pondering what to do. She thought of Lucina, then smiled as she shook Inigo's hand. "Sure, I'll give you another shot."

"Thank you." Inigo smiled as he shook her hand as well. "By the way, was Morgan with you?"

"No…" Severa realized that Morgan was still asleep when she and Lucina had left two days ago.

"She left an hour after you did and said she was gonna catch up with you," Inigo replied. Severa's eyes widened as she stood up. "She still hasn't come back yet."

"Oh, shoot!" Severa hurriedly placed a gold coin on the bar and waved to both Holland and Inigo. "Morgan! Morgan, where are you?" Severa called out as she walked through the dimly-lit town.

Eventually, she made her way to the front gate and continued to holler for Morgan until a voice caught her attention.

"Severa!" Morgan's voice broke the silence, and Severa saw her sister standing outside the town. She entered through the gate and hugged Severa.

"Where the hell were you?" Severa asked.

"I got… lost, and found my way back here." Morgan responded in a quick manner. Although Severa would find this answer suspicious if it came from anyone else, Morgan had never lied to her. Not even once.

* * *

Morgan sighed as she sat down on the ground. The afternoon sun bore down on her as she fumed quietly. Not only had Lucina and her sister abandoned her to grab the Emblem, but they didn't even bother to wake her up and inform her that she was being ditched.

She had set out as soon as she awoke, and the others told her that she should be roughly an hour behind them. But that proved to be nothing more than wishful thinking, as Morgan must've been walking for two hours before she realized that she would never catch up.

That, or she had gotten lost. That was also a possible scenario. She had spent so much time thinking about her mother that she sort of… walked on her own without thinking.

So there she sat, furious at herself for getting lost and dooming herself to die out here in the ruins of Ylisse.

A chill ran down her spine as she got to her feet and turned around. A puff of black smoke appeared before her and out stepped Grima with the Cloaked Woman close behind.

"Stop right there, you fiend! I won't hesitate to-" Morgan yelled as she reached for a tome, then realized she had brought none.

"I mean you no harm. In fact, I came here with a deal." Grima cracked a smile as he spoke. "I've found myself very lonely these days, and as you can see by my wife," Grima pointed to the Cloaked Woman, who seemed to be focusing only on Morgan. "I've taken to starting a family. However, what's a family without any children?" He asked.

"I'm sorry, but I can't call the _thing_ who killed my father and mother a dad." Morgan glared as she folded her arms. Grima responded by moving behind the Cloaked Woman and pulling down her hood.

She had long, red hair; the same shade as Morgan's. She wore a black visor on her eyes with a white border. She also had a great, big smile that Morgan recognized from her childhood.

"Mother!" Morgan cried out as she ran into Cordelia's embrace. Cordelia held her back as she sobbed into her mother's arms. How could this be? She had seen her mother's corpse and even buried it. "Is she… is she-"

"She's not dead. I saved her life and sent you a fake corpse so you wouldn't be suspicious." Grima answered as he patted Morgan on the head. Normally, she would be repulsed by a head-pat from him, but Grima's hand felt identical to her father's. "So what will it be?"

Morgan simply responded by hugging Grima in the same way she would hug her father if he came back. In her mind, however, he _was_ back.


	16. S Act I: Footsteps of Fate Finale

Severa's Tale: Act I

Footsteps of Fate

Finale

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Haltmann Work Co._ from _Kirby: Planet Robobot_ for this whole chapter.

* * *

From a distance, the ruins of the Ylissean Castle appeared to be nothing more than an empty building that served as the roosting spot for the Fell Dragon. His large frame draped over the pointed spires like an oversized tarp, but it seemed to serve him well, for he had used only that spot as a resting place in the century since his return. The six eyes on the massive wyvern were normally shut. Maybe he was resting whenever he returned to his home, or maybe he was doing something else with his time.

* * *

The depressing darkness of the empty hallways welcomed Grima as he sighed while walking towards the throne at the end of the room.  
"Dear, are you sure that you're not angry with me?" Grima asked as he glanced at Cordelia, who strode at his side. She nodded as she smiled at him before planting a warm kiss on his cheeks, but he still wallowed in guilt as she walked away. That visor was covering her eyes but the joy in them was so obvious that Grima couldn't help but smile.

He tried to focus on yesterday when he brought Morgan to the castle and the nice sensations he felt from the smile on her face. They played activities like pin the javelin on the Risen, spin the severed arm, poker, and others. One might ask why a murderous god would play games with a human, but Grima's answer was that fathers should spend time with their daughters, regardless of their work.

When Severa came to her senses, then Grima could have his little family back and he would feel joy. The same joy that Duma gave him.

Alas, his thoughts screeched back to the forest like a wheel that refused to stop. As he saw Lucina scramble away with that accursed Fire Emblem in her possession, he heard something. Voices telling him to kill, voices telling him to commit horrible acts of violence. Normally, he was fine with carrying out those acts of violence -just last week he torched an orphanage to the ground- but something troubled him about these voices.

They sounded note-for-note the same as what Duma described his degeneration to be. Before he went off the deep end, Duma had heard voices telling him to kill, a warning sign of his degeneration as a Divine Dragon. He explained how these voices sounded to Grima; hollow and whispering like a faint murmur.

A faint, hollow murmur was exactly what Grima heard back in the forest. He lost control of his body as the voices urged him to keep going, urged him to kill everything in sight, including Severa and Cordelia.

He had known his degeneration was coming for a while now. He had spent several days anticipating it with dread like a child having to visit a doctor. This was why he entrusted the Darksphere with Cordelia, who wore it as a necklace. Its corrupting powers from the War of Heroes had been drained, and now it served as a vessel for dark energy. Having tested it with Validar, Grima discovered that contact with the sphere was enough to control and seal the degeneration for a time, similar to the Dragonstones used by Manaketes.

Cordelia did her part following the forest fire, where she tackled Grima and pressed the Darksphere to his face to remove his degeneration. It was only temporary, as Grima knew it would return sooner or later.

But there the question remained: what if? What if he overpowered Cordelia and killed her before she could use the stone? What if he slaughtered Severa or Morgan? If he ended up killing Cordelia in his madness, he wasn't sure how he could live with himself. Doubly so for his daughters. Maybe it was because of how much he was reminded of Marla by Cordelia, but the thought of ending her life was something Grima avoided.

As Grima sat down in the castle library, he began to read a tome he had grabbed from the shelves. An encyclopedia of Divine Dragons such as himself. He thumbed through the index until he settled on a definition of Degeneration.

"Degeneration: a plight on dragons that causes them to creep into madness over time." He read aloud as the silence of the library bore into his ears. "Impossible to prevent without a Dragonstone."

The word 'prevent' lingered over his head like a reminder of his imperfection. That vile fiend Forneus had played a sick joke on him by forgetting about Degeneration. " _Why was I created with this flaw?_ " Grima moaned to himself.

A sharp note cut through the silence as Grima leaned over the table with his head cradled in his hands. Grima followed the gentle sounds of the harp through the hallways of the castle, stepping past large piles of purple goo that had been accumulating for a while now. All Grima knew regarding them was that he would frequently sneeze small piles of them out, and they would grow over time like mold due to his lax attitude about cleaning.

He entered the recreational room to find Cordelia sitting on a bench strumming a large harp. She rested her fingers on the strings and faced him with a bright smile on her masked face. "Don't let me stop you," Grima spoke as he sat down next to her. She slid farther away and patted the spot where she sat as if to indicate where he should sit.

Grima followed her to where she sat as she stood up and walked behind him. He set his hands on the long, vertical strings but waited. He never learned how to play the harp and now seemed like a bad time to start.

Cordelia placed her hands on Grima's and raised them. She interlocked her fingers with his as if she was the one playing instead of him. She guided his fingers along the strings, producing a song that pleased her eardrums as he let her glide his fingers along with no resistance.

Grima thought of how she must be feeling his hands and the frigid touch they have. He then thought about how these might be the same hands that kill her.

Tears began to flow from Grima's eyes.

* * *

Just a short little bonus chapter I was thinking about adding, and seeing Grima revealed for _Heroes_ gave me the kick in the pants to do it.

To be continued in Cordelia's Tale Act II: Road Taken.


	17. C Act II: Road Taken Part I

Cordelia's Tale: Act II

Road Taken

Part I

The Story so Far:

The Fell Dragon has clawed his way back to the world, stealing Robin's body and soul in the process and leaving a heartbroken Cordelia in the aftermath. Returning to her daughters with tears in her eyes and an emptiness in her gut, she tells them that he'll surely come back.

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Shroob Attack_ from _Partners in Time_ when you see one * mark, and _Friends and the Sound of Intersecting Swords_ from _Kirby Star Allies_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

A squadron of Ylissean soldiers circled the Valm Castle like flies swarming a rotting corpse while they waited, as was the art of a siege. Surely, the Valmese holdouts were starving inside that impenetrable fortress and would give up soon.

"Hey, they're doling out rations in the main tent." One soldier said to another that stood guard in front of the armory. The winter weather made the sky above appear a ghostly shade of white. "Wanna grab a bite?"

"I've got nothing better to do." The guard responded as he followed the other, zig-zagging past the tents and fellow soldiers, some of which he bumped into on accident.

A frigid gust of wind assaulted his chest and made his hairs stand on edge. He stopped walking out of shock and felt someone collide with his back.

"Hey, arsehole! Watch where you're going!" A voice yelled behind him as the guard looked to the sky. In the distance, a large silhouette hung in the sky and flapped its six wings. It slowly increased in size while the guard watched.

More soldiers stopped and looked at the shape as it neared. Six red lights broke through the fog in the sky and focused on the soldiers with an eerie glow. One pointed his hand and screamed as a bright flame began to form in the creature's mouth.

All the troops inside the Valm Castle stood on edge as they heard the scorch of flame and a bone-chilling screech that followed after. It seemed to come from outside, and then there was nothing but silence.

"What the hell was that?" One Valmese soldier asked as his heartbeat climbed by the second.

"Should we… Should we go and investigate?" Another soldier pressed as he looked to the commander, whose arms were folded in thought.

"Lower the drawbridge and send a small squad out. Raise it back up nary a second after they step outside; this might be a Ylissean ploy to lower our guard." The commander's large beard shook as he issued the order. Within minutes, a small squad was assembled and waiting at the closed gate.

The drawbridge slowly lowered and allowed light to pour into the interior of the castle, washing away the darkness and making passerby squint their eyes. The squad stepped outside and nervously kept their weapons drawn as they slowly approached a sight that shook them to their core.

*Charred corpses and tents littered the ground; one soldier broke into a coughing fit from the ash that rained from the sky like snow in a blizzard. A natural fire could not have started so quickly; surely there had to be a perpetrator nearby. The soldiers frantically searched the area for the _thing_ that could start this fire.

Where they didn't bother to check was above.

Wooden masks rained from the sky; a few landed on one unlucky soldier and knocked him out from the impact. The other troops hurried to his side and tried to wake him up as blood seeped from the back of his head onto the ground. Other masks lined the ground, some turned upside-down and others staring at the soldiers.

The mask that had landed on him began to move. The other soldiers cautiously stepped back out of fear and watched as a swarm of black bugs poured out of the mask and disappeared to the underside of their unconscious compatriot. The mask was carried by the swarm and disappeared as well underneath the man.

The soldier's skin turned a dark shade of purple as he began to spasm on the ground. After retching like a maimed insect, the soldier slowly got to his feet while he groaned. The mask that had knocked him out was now on his face and illuminated by glowing eyes.

The remaining Valmese soldiers watched as the charred corpses got to their feet, wearing the same masks as their former associate and eyeing up the soldiers as though they were walking bags of meat.

"Close the gates!"

* * *

Shadows danced around the edges of Cordelia's vision as she laid on her bed. The darkness of the night crept into her room and swallowed any remaining light while she tossed and turned. How could she shut her eyes when every time she opened them, she wanted Robin to be in her sights?

Her hands trembled and her legs quaked as she got to her feet and dressed in a robe. Maybe she could find some food to fill the hollow feeling in her gut. As she approached the dark hallway that bent like an L, she paused and slowly approached the turn.

" _This is all a prank. Robin's waiting around the corner with a bouquet of roses and a laugh about how gullible I am._ " She slowly walked towards it; her heartbeat increased with every step.

Around the corner was nothing but Cordelia's disappointment.

Severa tiptoed towards the kitchen of her house and tried her best to be quiet as she paused around every corner and bend in the hallways, lest there be a monster waiting for her. She winced as she felt a floorboard creak under her foot as she set it down.

Another sound echoed from through the kitchen; the crunch of someone eating something. Severa recognized it from when her mother would serve her carrots and the noise they would make as she ate them. Severa panicked and frantically searched from corner-to-corner to find where the noise came from, then noticed that her mother was looming in front of her. She had a half-eaten carrot in her hand and a stare in her eyes.

"Ah!" Severa shrieked as she threw her hands up. Cordelia quickly pressed her finger to her lips and shushed her.

"Shh! Don't wake your sister!" She whispered. "Why are you up at this hour?"

"There's a monster in my closet." Severa yawned then remembered why she needed her mother's help. "Can you please get rid of it?"

"Alright," Cordelia responded as she held Severa's hand and walked down the hallway to Morgan's room. Severa noticed that her mother paused at every corner like she would out of fear of monsters, but what could her mother be afraid of? She could beat any nasty monster up and kick them out, or at least that was what her father told her.

"Are you afraid of monsters too?" Severa asked as her mother stopped at the door to Morgan's room and slowly creaked it open. Cordelia could only think of the Fell Dragon and the fear she felt from its presence as she responded with a no.

Morgan laid on her bed, snoring the night away and blissfully ignorant of where her father was. Cordelia simply told them that he had to go away for awhile and nothing else.

Severa stopped in her tracks and pointed to the closet that stood opposite her bed. The door was slightly ajar as Cordelia walked towards it.

"See? Monsters aren't real." Cordelia whispered as she opened the door to reveal Severa's clothing stuffed in the closet. Her vision focused on a tuft of purple fabric that poked out of the corner which she grabbed and pulled out, revealing it to be Robin's cloak. She then remembered it was a replica he had bought in case he needed a backup. She had no idea why it was it in Severa's closet, but she pressed it against her chest without a second thought.

"Is that father's?" Severa asked as Cordelia noticed she was now on her bed with the covers drawn. Without responding, Cordelia walked over to Severa and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight," She said as she walked out of the room with the cloak in hand.

Cordelia returned to her room after a short while and hugged the cloak as she laid on her bed. She could smell the faint scent of lavender on it; lavender was Robin's favorite.

* * *

A knock on the front door echoed through Cordelia's house as she stood at the counter with a frying pan in hand and wearing Robin's cloak. Morgan and Severa both waited at the dining table with empty plates and a hunger in their stomachs as Cordelia attended to the door.

Standing against the morning sun was a reminder that Cordelia had not checked in on the Pegasus Knights ever since Robin's departure.

"Hi, Cordelia." Sumia smiled in an uneasy manner; Cordelia noticed that she was wearing a brown cloak that covered her whole body. "Good to see you again."

"Hello, Sumia. Do you want to come inside?" She asked while she squinted her eyes from the glare of the sun.

"Y-yeah sure, I'd love to." Sumia hurriedly stepped inside while Cordelia closed the door behind her. Cordelia raised her eyebrow as her children swarmed their aunt like a pack of hounds.

"Hi, Auntie Sumia! Hi Auntie Sumia! Did you bring Cynthia with you?" Severa and Morgan both jumped up and down as they held Sumia's hands.

"No, no. Cynthia's at home with her father right now…" Sumia tossed an awkward glance at Cordelia, who resumed cooking breakfast. Sumia sat down at the table and made small talk with Severa and Morgan while Cordelia pondered what her friend was hiding; both underneath that cloak and in her thoughts.

Her daughters' eyes lit up as Cordelia placed platters of scrambled eggs on the table and sat down opposite Sumia. "So… Is there a reason you haven't checked in on the Pegasus Knights?" Sumia asked and noticed that Morgan's plate was already empty.

"...The thought never crossed my mind." Cordelia glanced to the side to avoid Sumia's stare of what she perceived to be disappointment.

"That's understandable. You've been through a lot recently, and some people thought you had died at the Dragon's Table with Robi-" Severa's ears perked up while Sumia spoke.

"He's not dead." Cordelia blurted out as she noticed Severa and Morgan staring at her. "Girls, can you go to your room for a few minutes? Your aunt and I need to discuss some issues."

Severa groaned as she wolfed down the last of her breakfast and followed Morgan down the hallway while Sumia smiled at them.

"They're good kids… So, regarding Robin, his body wasn't at the Dragon's Table when Olivia sent a recovery squadron to retrieve Chrom's corpse. We assumed he was crushed under the rubble caused by Grima."

"That dragon- no, that _thing_ stole his body and absconded on his other body, because of course, he needs two bodies." Cordelia's brow furrowed. "Of course this gods-damned monstrosity had to steal my husband even though he has his own functional body that dwarfs the Ylissean Castle and-"

"Easy, Cordy, easy. Breathe." Sumia quickly got to her feet and made her way to her friend's side as Cordelia slumped her head onto the table and began to sob. "I'm sorry this happened to you."

Sumia patted Cordelia's shoulder and knelt next to her. She turned her head and noticed that Morgan and Severa were standing in the doorway with their eyes wide and jaws agape. "How long were you two standing there?"

Severa answered by walking up to her mother and hugging her.

"Is dad coming back home?" Severa asked. "Please don't lie to me this time…" Cordelia's heart ached as she hugged her daughter and felt tears trickle down her cheeks.

"No… H-he's n-not…" Cordelia answered as Morgan walked up to the embrace and joined them.

An apology followed where Cordelia admitted that it was wrong to keep Morgan and Severa in the dark regarding their father, and they forgave their mother. Cordelia then looked to Sumia with a smile on her face. "Thank you for checking in," Cordelia spoke as she hugged her friend and felt a hard, metallic plate on Sumia's chest. "I couldn't ask for a better friend."

"I… I…" Sumia's eyes welled up as she hugged Cordelia back. "I can't do it…" She began to remove her cloak, much to Cordelia's bewilderment. Her confusion was elevated when she noticed that Sumia was wearing gold plates of armor on her red uniform. This uniform was given to the Falcon Knights, commanders of the Pegasus Knights, and it same uniform Cordelia was given when she inherited the title of commander.

"I don't understand…" Cordelia stammered as she took a step back.

"The Knights fell into disarray after you disappeared, so I stepped up as commander. I came here today to ask you if you wanted to come back, as a commander and as a friend." Sumia's cheeks were bright-red and she couldn't bear to look at Cordelia.

"Well, what do you want?" Cordelia asked. Sumia paused; nobody had asked her if she wanted to be the commander, she simply took it upon herself because she couldn't stand to see chaos and disorder.

"I want… I want to-" She struggled to get her words out. "I want to have one last sparring match with you, so I can finally know: who's the better knight? You, or me? Who's more fit to command the Pegasus Knights?" Sumia blurted out and stared at Cordelia with wide eyes. "You obviously don't want to come back. You need to raise your children and I understand that, but please, let me finally know how much I've improved."

"Very well." Cordelia walked to the door. "And if I win?"

"I'll eat my pride and I'll know that you are the better knight," Sumia answered as she opened the door. "Do you want to start right now?"

"Best to get this over and done as soon as possible." Cordelia was taken aback that Sumia needed this much of a confidence booster; her abilities were always up to Cordelia's standard, but she was her own worst critic.

After walking to the nearby stables where she housed her mount, Cordelia and Sumia rode atop their respective steeds with wooden lances in hand. The morning sun shone down on them and reflected off Sumia's armor.

"May- may th- may the b-" She paused as her pegasus neighed, took a deep breath, then stared at Cordelia. "May the best knight win." The wings of her steed flapped, vertically raising her into the air.

"Agreed," Cordelia replied as she followed Sumia into the air. They stopped their elevation when they were a good distance above the ground. The first to fall was the loser, and if one were to fall, it would not be fatal, but they would feel sore in the following morning.

**Sumia initiated the fight with a yelling charge, just as Cordelia remembered from their previous matches. Cordelia steered her mount away from the charge and used the side of her weapon to shift Sumia's away. She then replied with a quick jab to Sumia's gut. She had trained with Sumia so many times that she knew this whole song-and-dance front to back.

Sumia shifted her weight away from Cordelia's jab, dodging the blow and attacking back. Spit flew from Cordelia's mouth as Sumia jabbed her in the gut; she struggled to remain on her steed and quickly regained her balance.

The two knights drew back and circled each other. Now Cordelia found herself thrown into uncertainty, unable to read Sumia's thoughts and predict her actions. How could she when all she could think of was Robin? She was so lost in her own grief that she failed to notice Sumia charge her, again.

Unbeknownst to the two sparring knights, Severa and Morgan had sneaked out of the house and watched the match with wide eyes. Their mother was the best knight in the whole world, or at least that's what their father told them. There was no way she could lose.

" _She'll never expect the same move twice_." Sumia thought as she moved her lance towards the side of Cordelia's hip.

" _Robin would know what to d-_ " Cordelia thought, then noticed that Sumia was rapidly approaching her. " _Wait, no!_ " She tried to block the blow, but Sumia quickly pulled her weapon back and changed her strike mid-attack.

After taking a swipe to the side of her stomach, Cordelia's grip on her reigns was loosened, causing her steed to rear back and buck her off. She was thrown off her mount and sent falling towards the ground while she screamed.

With a flash of red and white, Cordelia found herself floating in midair. She panicked and looked around to see if she had suddenly grown wings, but realized that Sumia had caught her in her arms.

After lowering to the ground, Sumia set Cordelia on her feet and watched as she steered her pegasus back to the stables. "You've grown so much." Cordelia smiled as she walked out of the stables and noticed that Sumia was crying with a smile on her face.

"T-thank you." Sumia hugged her friend and rested her head on her shoulder. "Thank you for giving me the confidence to lead the Pegasus Knights." Sumia drew back, then climbed on her mount. "I have to go, but I promise I'll stay in touch. Tell Severa and Morgan that I'll bring Cynthia next time!"

Cordelia waved to Sumia as she disappeared over the morning horizon. She felt a tiny hand tug at her sleeve, then turned around to see her daughters staring at her with odd looks.

"You looked really upset. You were thinking of dad, weren't you?" Severa spoke with an innocent bluntness. Cordelia replied with a slow, silent nod.

"She didn't deserve that win." Morgan spoke in a rude tone; she was furious that her undefeatable mother had been swindled of her honor.

"No, she did." Cordelia knelt down and stared into Morgan's eyes. "She needs it more than I do."


	18. C Act II: Road Taken Part II

Cordelia's Tale: Act II

Road Taken

Part II

Author's note: I recommend listening to _My Name is Haltmann_ from _Kirby: Planet Robobot_ when you see one * mark.

* * *

The roads of the Feroxi town were surprisingly well-kept, given that they were constantly walked on by all sorts of people going about their daily lives. Cordelia wanted to look up from the ground and describe those people, how they were probably staring at her cloak and judging her, but she could not find the strength.

" _In and out. In and out. It's as simple as that; surely you can't mess it up_." She thought to herself as she stood outside the farmer's market gates. After a few moments passed, she finally looked up from the roads and saw that the town was covered in a thick blanket of fog. Other passerby walked along with torches and simply said nothing while they walked past her.

If anything, she was probably standing out more by staring at everyone.

Without sparing a second thought, she rushed into the open square that housed various stalls. All around her she could hear farmers hawking their produce for the poor masses who were stocking up for both the winter and the apocalypse.

Her gaze focused on one stall that seemed to have no customers. " _Fewer customers means a lower chance of someone recognizing me as the wido- I am not widowed, gods-damnit. He's still in there, and I'm an idiot for thinking otherwise._ "

"Oh, well lookey who it is!" A familiar voice called out; Cordelia picked her gaze up from the floor and her self-mockery. Behind the empty stand stood Donnel, wearing his familiar cooking pot atop his purple locks. "Fancy seeing you 'round these parts, Cordelia."

"Oh, thank gods…" She muttered. She knew Donnel. She knew someone around here and wasn't isolated. "Hello, Donnel. How are you doing?"

"Peachy-keen, thank ya for askin'," Donnel responded with a smile on his face. "You seem mighty frazzled. Anythin' on yer mind?"

"Oh, you know, Robin being possessed by a god and all that. You couldn't possibly understa-" Cordelia shot back with a snappy retort before she could think, then covered her mouth. "I'm sorry! That was very crude of me and it's okay that you don't kno-"

"Relax. Yer in mourning, and I can't say I wouldn't do the same if I lost Panne or Yarne." Donnel held his hands up and gave off a reassuring air. "So what do ya need?"

"Oh, right…" Cordelia pulled out a scrawled list given to her by Severa and Morgan. She had trouble reading Severa's handwriting, due to how she never closed her lowercase a's. She'd have to give her more lessons on that. "Carr… No, that's not right… Carrots, lettuce…" Cordelia skipped over the part where Severa asked for chocolate.

"Groceries. Ya need food." Donnel answered for her as he reached underneath the stall and began to rummage around. He returned with a big bag of assorted vegetables, bread, meat and fruit. "Well, since nobody seems to be buying these…"

"How much do you want for that whole bag?" Cordelia asked.

"Tell ya what. You've got your hands full raising two youngins by yerself, and yer a friend. So let's make a deal. If ya ever run low on food, just stop by and I'll get yer fix for ya. I got a farm back home but not enough customers, so if you could spread the word and get me more customers, I'd mighty appreciate it." Donnel answered as Cordelia smiled from ear-to-ear.

"Thank you so much," Cordelia spoke as Donnel handed her the bag. "Before I go, how is Panne doing?" Cordelia remembered Panne from the Shepherds; it was hard to forget someone as odd as her.

"She's holdin' out alright. The whole business with Grima is making her worry about getting lynched on account of how 'untrustworthy' manfolk are, but I promised I'll be there to protect 'er. Right now she's stayin' at home teaching Yarne how to hoe the fields with his Taguel feet."

"That's very kind of you." Cordelia smiled and waved as she walked away. "See you around, Donnel!"

"See ya later!" Donnel waved back as he watched Cordelia disappear through the fog. The mere second she left, a man walked up to the stall.

"All the other food is sold out. Do you have anything for sale?" He asked as he leaned on the wooden counter.

"Boy, lemme tell you." Donnel smiled as he proceeded to rummage around for more food with a newfound joy in his gut. His mother raised him to be kind, and that's what he intended to do.

As she continued walking through the town, Cordelia felt a spring in her step as she walked past dozens of lamp-lighted buildings. She held the bag of produce tightly against her chest as she continued to walk, but stopped as her ears perked up.

"Sons and daughters of Naga, hear me!" A voice called out from the central square of the town. "One man's folly has caused the great destruction you see now, but fear not!" Cordelia turned to face the voice and saw a robed man standing before the rim of a fountain. "Take shelter in the bosom of Naga, and know that you are safe! Safe from the man who caused our ruin!" A crowd had assembled and watched intently. Cordelia began walking towards the man.

"What's his name, then!" One crowd-goer asked. Others repeated this question. "Who killed my son?" Another asked.

"Very well. I was unaware of his name until this brave man stepped out and identified him." The robed man stepped to the side, and a soldier walked out from behind him. "Please, good sir, tell us your tale."

"Aye, I know whodunit. The former tactician for the Exalt: Robin. I saw him at the Dragon's Table, I did. Saw him right after 'e stabbed the Exalt though his bloody chest. Was grinning with a crazed look, he was. Right after he killed our lord, he said some hogwash 'bout how humanity was disgustin' or somethin'." The soldier spoke. Cordelia's gut twisted and turned on itself; her legs felt like pudding. She had never seen his sneering face until now.

"The witness has spoken!" The robed man raised his hands and yelled as the crowd cheered. "Robin has rejected not only the voice of Naga but his humanity as well!"

"Traitorous scum!" One peasant called out. Cordelia's hands trembled and her thoughts were screaming louder than the crowd.

"Henceforth, he shall not be called Robin. He shall be referred to as the Defiled, for he has defiled not only us by bringing the Fell Dragon into the world, but Naga as well!"

Cordelia opened her mouth to speak; she wanted to march right up there and tell these fanatics that they are wrong. She wanted to force the mouth of that soldier shut with her bare fists as he stood there, smirking and knowing that he is sullying the name of her husband.

But no words came out of her mouth as she opened them. Her legs refused to move, leaving her to stand outside the crowd with her mouth agape. A tiny squeak echoed out of her mouth.

"You're… You're wrong…" She squeaked to the ears of nobody, and nobody responded.

She placed a hand on her throat, which felt as though it was a desert, then began to quickly walk out of the town with the groceries in her hands. By the time she returned to her house, the fog remained and made the interior of her house appear dark as a result.

Slamming the door behind her, she set the groceries on the table and marched to her room, where a statue of Naga stood on her bed stand. She snatched the statue and stomped back to the door, opening it to reveal the outside. She threw the statue into the ground and stood over it, glaring at the symbol that inspired others to hate as it laid in the dirt, covered in filth.

Cordelia shut the door as she returned inside and leaned up against it with her knees brought to her head. She began to sob, for what else could she do? Severa and Morgan emerged from their rooms and snuggled next to their mother, whose sobbing was slightly alleviated by their presence.

Cordelia considered herself a religious person, or at least until now.

* * *

The lights from the chandelier danced above Olivia's head as she seated herself at a table. With a quill in one hand and some parchment in the other, she pondered how she should start her message.

How about: 'Hello, Stahl. Sorry if my handwriting is scribbly, as my castle is currently being sieged by the Fell Dragon.' No, that's too on-the-nose.

The chandelier shook. A faint roar echoed outside. At most, she had an hour; barely enough time to write letters to each member of the Shepherds.

"Mother, what's going on?" Her daughter's voice echoed from the next room.

"Everything's going to be fine, Lucy!" Olivia hurriedly answered back as she scribbled a message on the paper. She read it back to herself in order to catch any errors, although her heartbeat continued to climb.

'Hello, Stahl. By the time this letter reaches you, the Ylissean Castle will have fallen to the Fell Dragon. I, along with my family, will flee and head for the town of Tutidomas, where we will be safeguarded. You might recognize this as the town where Cordelia and Robin settled down, and that is indeed where we are heading. We must unite for our survival, and I suggest you do the same.'

The message seemed fine to her, so now she simply needed to copy it nineteen times for the rest of the Shepherds.

The door to the nearby room creaked open an hour later. Inigo had walked into the room and held her free hand for comfort.

"Frederick, is everything going to be okay?" Lucina asked from the other room. Olivia put down her quill and sighed. The last message was complete; all that remained was to deliver them.

"...Yes, my lady. Everything will be fine if we leave shortly. Lady Olivia!" Frederick called out and entered the room. Olivia stood up and faced him. "There is a carriage waiting for us outside. We are to leave the castle and get to it, where Lady Lissa and Lord Lon'qu are waiting." He was hiding something, Olivia was sure of it.

"Undead are already in the halls, aren't they?" She asked as she noticed her blade and the Fire Emblem leaning against the wall.

"Regrettably, yes… Our escape route is through the basement, which they have not discovered." Olivia noticed that Inigo and Lucina were peeking out from behind Frederick.

She had done this dance before; the steps were memorized as though they were second nature. It was a night like tonight when that nobleman attempted to kidnap her. Basilio had to smuggle her out of town, shushing her with every shriek she made along the way. She remembered the guards that patrolled the roads, hunting for her and killing any townsfolk in the way.

In another life, one that did not involve Chrom, she might have repeated the night.

"I want to cut down whatever monster is in our path." Olivia picked up the golden hilt of her sword and inspected its curved blade. She then set the golden shield on her forearm.

"But, my lady! Chrom would not want you to throw yourself into harm's way!" Frederick replied back and strained to keep a straight face. Olivia stuffed the letters she had written into her satchel.

"Chrom's been gone for two years! And do you know what killed him?" Lucina and Inigo both shut their eyes as Olivia began to yell. "That _thing_ currently sieging this castle! So please, let a widow take revenge on the murderer of her beloved!"

Frederick paused; his eyes focused on Olivia as he thought.

"Very well. We shall work our way to the basement. Per your request, we shall defeat any undead in our path."

"Thank you." Olivia smiled and moved to the door. "Lucy, Inigo. Follow me and keep your heads down. Frederick, guard my rear and make sure not a hair on their heads gets harmed." She pointed to her children, who nervously stood behind her.

"You have my word," Frederick answered as he stood behind the two children with his back facing them.

* * *

The mere sight of undead soldiers patrolling the halls of the castle was enough to send Olivia into a rage. She flashed her sword out, but stopped her hand. Chrom had only trained her in one-to-one combat, not taking on multiple foes.

Frederick stepped in front of Olivia with his axe drawn. "Allow me, Milady." He spoke as he charged the two undead and quickly dispatched them. They fell to the floor as Olivia regained her composure and thanked Frederick. She swore she recognized the faces of the undead from that night.

In the grand foyer of the castle was a disgusting sight: bodies of Ylissean soldiers piled on the floor like toys discarded by a child. A man walked along the piles and placed masks on the corpses; his dainty steps made it seem like this was his garden. The corpses adorned with masks began to writhe, stand up, then join the other undead in their patrol of the castle.

Olivia's hands trembled as she noticed the ash-white locks on the man, and caught a quick glimpse of his familiar eyes. Cordelia was right: Robin had not been killed at the Dragon's Table.

"Lady Olivia, please!" Frederick whispered and stood behind Olivia as he tried to pull her away from the corner. "If that thing sees you, there is no telling what it wou-"

"I know!" Olivia whispered back, then turned her gaze to Grima. She knew it was the Fell Dragon; Sumia had informed her recently of Cordelia's account. She watched as _it_ inspected a pile of corpses, then Olivia felt a tug at her left.

In horror, she turned to see Lucina run past her with innocence in her eyes as she sprinted towards Grima. "No!" She screamed along with Frederick.

"You! You killed my father!" Lucina stood before the man who looked like Uncle Robin and yelled. "You meanie!"

*Olivia watched in horror as Grima slowly turned to face her daughter.

"Why hello there, tiny one." He knelt down to meet Lucina's eye level. "You seem to have a vendetta against me."

"I don't know what that word is, but it won't stop me from beating you!" Lucina ran up to Grima and kicked him in the shins. He smirked, then slowly grabbed his leg as Lucina took a step back.

"Ouch. I will never walk again." His voice was dripping with sarcasm that flew over Lucina's head. "But yes, I did kill your father." He noticed that tears began to form in Lucina's eyes.

"B-but… my father was a good man! He never did anything wrong, so why did you kill him?" Grima wiped her eyes.

"Well, allow me to explain… Have you ever had a spider bite you?"

"One time, I woke up and there was a big, hairy spider on me. My father got rid of it before it could bite me."

"Did he kill any more spiders after that?" Grima asked; Lucina's eyes began to dry while Olivia's continued to widen.

"I think so. He mentioned getting rid of all of them so they couldn't hurt me, Inigo, and my mother."

"Well, imagine two people, named Duma and Grima. They were the best of friends, and they would talk about how the spiders don't deserve to be killed on sight. Then, one night, Grima woke up to see a big, nasty spider named Alm crawling all over Duma. Before he could stop it, the spider bit Duma, putting him in a deep sleep. No matter how hard Grima tried, his friend would not wake up." Grima paused. "Now, what do you think Grima did to any more spiders he found?"

"He would squash them because they hurt his friend." Lucina stopped after she spoke, then took a few steps back. "You're not talking about real spiders…"

"Did I ever tell you my name, little one?" Grima asked.

"Y-you're Uncle Robin." Lucina continued to back up out of fear.

"Robin the spider is gone. My name, however, is Grima." Grima watched as Lucina turned around and ran to her mother's arms. "Exterminator of the pests known as humans." Grima's voice rose as he noticed Olivia holding her daughter. "Fortunately for you, wife of Chrom, I do not advocate killing children. Unlike your kind."

"Lady Olivia, get behind me." Frederick placed a reassuring hand on Olivia's shoulder as Grima slowly walked towards them. Undead soldiers formed into a mob behind Grima and focused on her with beady, red eyes.

"He killed my husband!" Olivia's hands trembled with rage. She couldn't run, not again.

"I know, but you cannot throw your life away here. You must escape and see your children grow. You know Chrom would want that." Frederick looked directly into her eyes. "I can slow this monster and keep you safe."

"But you'll die!" Olivia couldn't let Frederick waste his life for hers.

"I know. From the very first day I took up arms, I knew I would lay down my life protecting the Ylissean Royal Family." He averted his eyes and turned around to see that Grima had stopped.

"By all means, continue having your moment. Your death will not stop me from acquiring her." Grima raised his hand and pointed to Olivia, who glared back at him.

"Thank you, Frederick." Olivia hugged Frederick from his back, then darted away. She lifted Lucina and Inigo into her arms and ran away through the halls of the castle.

Frederick sighed as he watched Olivia and her children disappear, then drew his axe as he faced Grima.

"So noble of you, Freddy-bear." Grima clapped as he unsheathed a purple sword with an eye in its hilt. "Well, let's get this over with so I can claim my prize."

"Your last breath approaches," Frederick yelled as he charged Grima.

The night sky was lit up by the full moon above that reflected off of Olivia's pink hair. She pressed Lucina and Inigo to her chest as she ran towards the carriage outside the castle. As she passed by the coach driver, she nodded her head and he nodded back as she climbed inside. Lissa and Lon'qu waited inside the carriage with their son, Owain.

"Thank the gods you made it out." Lissa beamed as she hugged Olivia, who put her children back on the floor. "Where's Frederick?"

"He…" Olivia shook Lon'qu's hand as she tried to choke the words out. "He died protecting me from Grima."

Lissa bowed her head and tried to stifle her tears. Lon'qu embraced her; he knew her pain all too well.

"To fall protecting those he loved from evil… That is how he wanted to go out, I'm sure of it." He spoke in a solemn tone.

"He d-died doing what he loved…" Lissa choked on her words as Owain joined with his parents in a hug.

Lucina sat in silence, holding her mother's hand and thinking about how much fault she had in Frederick's death. Olivia, on the other hand, was thinking about the steps of this dance that she had performed twice now.

* * *

Two years had passed since Robin's departure, with every day being a new low for how pathetic Cordelia thought she was. Sometimes she played games as she tended her garden: if she could water all the plants in five minutes, Robin would come back.

She never beat her record of ten minutes to this day.

Tonight, she spent her evening seated and reading a book. It was a little tale titled 'The Ribald Tales of the Faith War,' which according to Sumia, was based on real events. Cordelia doubted the truth of a woman being hypnotised into sleeping with her brother to create a vessel for a dark god, but it was an interesting read nonetheless.

She soon found herself enraptured into the book, envisioning herself as one of the brave warriors who fell at Bellhala and not some stay-at-home mother dealing with grief.

A knock on her door broke her out of her trance and made her answer. She opened the door to reveal Olivia, standing in the pale moonlight with Lucina and Inigo sleeping in her arms.

"C-can I stay at your place for a while?"


	19. C Act II: Road Taken Part III

Cordelia's Tale: Act II

Road Taken

Part III

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Vs. King Dedede_ from _Kirby's Epic Yarn_ when you see one * mark.

* * *

The stare in eyes of both Lucina and Olivia was one that Cordelia knew all too well. After hearing their tale, she was surprised they weren't bawling their eyes out as they sat on her couch.

"Here, you two must be hungry." Cordelia smiled as she down two plates of eggs on the dining table.

"Thank you, Aunt Delia." Inigo and Lucina both spoke in tired, sad tones as they walked to the table and sat down.

"So, where's Lissa and Lon'qu?" Cordelia asked as she seated herself on the couch next to Olivia. Her eyes drooped and she looked like she could pass out at a moment's notice.

"They offered me a place to stay at their house, but I can't bear to leech off of them after I…" Her thoughts turned to Frederick; how could they not? "After I took Frederick from them." Cordelia paused and puzzled about what she should say.

"Would you do the same for him if your roles were reversed?" She asked, then looked outside to a nearby window. She always loved the look of the night sky at this hour; her eyes were enraptured by the brown tint of the horizon.

"I… I would," Olivia answered.

"He knew he would meet his end protecting your family. He's probably smiling from the afterlife." Olivia paused after Cordelia tried to remedy her ailments, but she still felt a bitterness in her gut.

"It's funny... everyone I meet ends up dying… First Basilio, then Chrom, and now Frederick. I wouldn't be surprised if Grima barged through these doors right now and grabbed you."

"You're safe here. That monster doesn't know where we are." Cordelia replied.

"But when Grima charged Frederick, he called him 'Freddy-bear.' How could he have known that nickname unless he had access to Robin's memories? And if he has those, he knows that Robin lived here! We're going to have to relocate!" Olivia stood up and paced around the room; her cheeks flushed to match her frazzled hair. "We'll have to move to some other country like Plegia then go into hiding and-"

Olivia's mouth became a blur to Cordelia's eyes; her words slurred into a mess. "Sellourbodiesonthestreetandgettreatedlikeanimalsjustsoourchildrencan-!"

She stopped when she noticed the wide, staring eyes of not only her children but Cordelia as well. She responded by grabbing a pillow and screaming into it. "Why is this happening to me?" Cordelia thanked her luck that Olivia's muffled voice didn't wake Severa and Morgan.

Shocked at how fast she could speak and how bleak her outlook was, Cordelia patted Olivia on the shoulder with a reassuring smile.

"Grima probably thought it was funny to call Frederick that. I remember thinking of that nickname before Robin told it to me." She watched as Olivia brought her sobbing eyes out of the pillow.

"I'm… sorry. I used to be like that: shy and afraid. Chrom helped me through it, but I'm worried that I'll sink back to it without him here…" Olivia spoke.

"To tell you the truth, I'm worried about the same thing. After my comrades passed, I grew cold and distant. Robin helped me out of it, but I'm worried that I've returned to that dark spot in his absence."

"Oh, gods…" Olivia's eyes widened as a realization set in her mind. "You've already been down this road of grief… I'm sorry, my problems sound like tiny ailments compared to what you're going through…"

"You don't need to apologize. We've had people lay down their lives protecting us, and we've both lost people near and dear to our hearts." Cordelia assumed that an empathetic approach would be the best way to handle their grief. "How about… you make sure that I avoid isolating myself, and I'll make sure you keep your courage."

"That sounds like a good idea." The bags under Olivia's eyes had grown more pronounced with every minute. "Now… Can I-" She paused herself and yawned as she looked at her children, who drooped over on their chairs. "Can I sleep on your couch?"

"Where will Lucina and Inigo sleep?" Cordelia asked; there were only three beds in the house, two of which currently occupied.

"They can sleep in my arms, I suppose." Olivia slowly got to her feet, lifted Inigo into her arms, then laid down on the couch while Cordelia watched. Inigo closed his eyes as he rested on his mother's stomach, but he was slowly falling off her side. "Oh, this won't work…"

Cordelia watched in awe of Olivia's humility as she set Inigo on the couch, grabbed a spare pillow, then laid down on the cold floor. "Well, this will have to do..."

"You know, my bed can hold multiple people," Cordelia said. Olivia's jaw went agape as she checked to see if her children were asleep.

"O-oh, I-I'm sorry, b-b-but I don't s-swing that way… I know you must be f-feeling lonely, but I don't think you could find what you need from m-m-" Her cheeks matched Cordelia's hair as she pressed her hands together.

"I meant you can sleep in my bed with your children, and I can rest on the couch," Cordelia interjected; Olivia noticed that she was slightly blushing. In hindsight, Cordelia realized she could have been more clear.

"Ohhhhhhhh… Are you sure you want to do that? This is your house, after all…" Olivia stood up and looked to the hallway. Cordelia didn't know why, and didn't ponder why before she answered.

"You've been through hell and back; the least I can do is ensure you and your children have a good night's sleep." Cordelia followed Olivia's gaze and saw a small child with white hair standing the in the doorway.

Severa beamed with delight as she stared at Lucina, but before she could yell she realized her mother was shushing her.

"Are we having a slumber party?" Severa slowly walked towards Lucina and wondered why she was asleep.

"Your Aunt Olivia will be staying here for a while, so you get to spend more time with Lucina." Cordelia sat on the couch and watched as Severa seated herself next to her. "You should go back to bed."

"I heard Auntie Olivia crying and I wanted to help." Severa walked up to her aunt and smiled with a wide grin. "I can show you how to get to mom's room."

"Why, thank you…" Olivia smiled back and felt touched as she lifted Inigo and Lucina in her arms. She then followed Severa down the halls and out of Cordelia's sight.

"Now, just between you and me, I'm pretty sure there are monsters around here. I can keep you safe, but only if you stay behind me." Severa whispered to Olivia as they walked down the hallways.

"Don't worry, I know you'll protect me." Olivia smiled as she followed behind.

Cordelia waited as she strummed her fingers along the edge of the couch. She could tell that Severa wanted something from her aunt. More time to see Lucina? Ensuring that she got more gifts for her next birthday? She then watched as Severa walked back into the room.

"Do you need anything from your aunt?" Cordelia asked while Severa climbed onto the couch next to her.

"Nope," Severa replied as she moved from the couch to her mother's lap.

"Are you sure? You're using that tone you use whenever you want something." Cordelia asked. Severa silently replied by tensing her shoulders.

"The only thing I want is for dad to come home..." She looked at her mother with a forlorn gaze. She then grabbed her mother's hands and clasped them tightly. "I just wanted to make Auntie Olivia feel better cause I know she lost her special someone."

A sense of guilt began to build inside Cordelia as she held Severa. She wasn't the only one affected by Robin's departure, and she needed to keep that in mind.

"I'm sorry," Cordelia whispered into her ear.

* * *

*A screaming voice broke the lull of Cordelia's sleep and shocked her awake. She groggily raised her head from the pillow of the couch. The front door was ajar.

"Did not!" That was Morgan's voice; her shrill tone recognizable by pitch alone. Cordelia groggily got to her feet and threw her blanket aside. She turned her gaze to the foggy air outside and heard another scream.

"Did too!" Severa yelled. Cordelia rushed out the door and assumed her children were fighting. Her suspicions were confirmed as she stepped outside and saw Severa tussling on the wet grass with Morgan below her. Morning fog rolled around the hills and Cordelia felt dew squish under her feet with every step.

Morgan pushed her sister back and got to her feet, glaring as she swung her diminutive fists at her sister.

"Morgan!" Cordelia stepped in front of Morgan and looked at her with a disapproving stare. "Why are you attacking Severa?"

"She hit me!" Morgan replied back with wide eyes.

"You started it!" Severa shouted as she got to her feet and stood behind her mother. "You said I don't care about dad as much as you do!"

Cordelia turned her gaze from Severa to Morgan, who held her hands behind her back and avoided eye contact.

"Is this true?"

"Yes, it's true. She doesn't care about dad as much as I do." Morgan stuck her tongue out at her sister, whose face turned bright red.

"Morgan, apologize. That's a lie and you know it." Morgan's face lost any sense of courage as Cordelia furrowed her brow. "You both care about your father equally. If he was still here, he'd be ashamed that you two were fighting over his affection. Now apologize to your sister."

Morgan hesitated; it was clear that she truly believed she had no fault. Eventually, her eyes drooped and her posture slumped over as she reached a feeling of regret.

"I'm sorry, Sev. You care about dad too, and it wasn't nice of me to lie about that."

"Now, Severa, apologize to Morgan for hitting her." Cordelia then turned her eyes to Severa.

"But she started it!" Severa repeated with an agape jaw.

"And you hit her. What she did was wrong, but you replied with violence." Cordelia stared into her daughter's eyes.

"...Violence isn't the answer to anything, unless your life is on the line." Severa quoted the phrase her mother had drilled into her head through multiple routines. "I'm sorry, Morgan."

"Let's get inside, okay?" Cordelia dropped her facade and smiled. "I'm proud of you two for handling that in a mature manner."

Severa grumbled something to herself as she followed Morgan back into the house; Cordelia wasn't sure if it was an insult or not. By the time Cordelia returned to the warmth of her house, she saw that Lucina had awoken and entered the living room. Severa was the first one to notice and the first one to hug her friend.

"Lucy! Lucy! Did you see my dad?" Cordelia's heart skipped a beat as Severa asked her question.

"Severa… Yesterday was rather hard on Lucina; maybe you should hold off on the tough question-"

"I… I saw him… He said Robin was gone, and that he was Grima." Lucina stared at the floor and mumbled. "Is he going to get us?" Cordelia responded by kneeling down next to her.

"It's okay, Lucina. You're safe here." She smiled and held open her arms.

"Thank you, Aunt Delia." Lucina hugged her aunt and wallowed in her embrace.

* * *

Once everyone had been settled, Olivia brought up that she had a mound of letters that needed to be delivered. Cordelia was about to state there was a post office in the town, but Olivia cut her off by saying she had lived in this town as a child. Tutidomas was the name of the town of which Cordelia never bothered to learn the name.

Cordelia suggested leaving the children in the house as they went to the post office, and she reassured Olivia that Severa was quite mature for her age. She was trained in using the bathroom, was responsible enough to not leave the house, and could ration out food between her and Morgan.

Olivia was shocked at how much of a tight ship Cordelia ran, but Cordelia simply waved it off and said she was proud of her daughters.

What Olivia noticed, as they walked through the streets of Tutidomas, was that Cordelia seemed more afraid of passerby than her. Every moment she spent in the town involved staring at the roads and avoiding eye contact with civilians.

Her answer was made clear as they walked past the central fountain and saw a soldier standing in front of it.

"Please, you lot got any spot o' coin… My family could use it." He held out a mug in front of the passing crowd. "You wouldn't let someone who survived Grima starve, right?"

The mere mention of Grima was enough to make the indifferent crowd turn their heads and swarm the man. The chink of coins landing in his mug was distinguishable from the murmur of the crowd.

"Oh, you poor soul…" One old woman spoke as she tossed him a sack of coins.

"I could tell more stories about Robin if ya like. How he probably burned an orphanage before goin' to the Dragon's Table."

Olivia sneered in disgust as she turned to Cordelia.

"Are you going to do something about this or…" Olivia whispered into her ear as Cordelia continued to stare at the road.

"I… My voice locks up and…" Her cheeks matched her hair.

" _Stage fright…_ " Olivia thought as she patted Cordelia on her cloaked back. "Would Robin stand by and let people sully your name?"

Cordelia knew he wouldn't, and she knew that she wasn't living in that scenario. However, her mind began to wander and ponder other scenarios. What if Severa and Morgan were here? Would they tell that man off? Would Sumia?

Before she could even think of an answer, her legs moved on their own towards the man.

"Excuse me, but do you mind telling me your name?"

"Slayde Fitzgerald." He sneered back as he held out his mug.

"Funny. I don't remember ever seeing a Slayde Fitzgerald in the ranks of the Ylissean Military." Cordelia glared back at him; her contempt was dripping from her tone. She wanted to strangle this man but stayed her hand.

"And why would you know that, lass?" The crowd watched intently as though this was the most exciting thing in their day-to-day lives.

"Because I was married to the tactician of the Ylissean Military. The man you've been slandering for two years."

The crowd let out a collective gasp as Slayde dropped his composure. "In fact, I remember seeing your name on the list of sick leave during the day of that battle. I also know you weren't there to witness Robin's possession, as the only people there were him, Chrom, and myself."

Slayde stuttered and stopped as he continued to glare. After a moment he muttered a retort.

"And why should these people trust you?" He grumbled.

"Because I was in that battle with her." Olivia stepped forward from the crowd and walked to Cordelia's side. "And I don't remember seeing you in the crowd when Chrom gave his rallying speech to the troops."

The crowd turned their ire towards Slayde and began demanding that he drop his mug and his act. He begrudgingly threw his mug to the ground and spat on it.

"Fine, you caught me. But I wasn't lying about having a family to feed. Can ya really hate me for trying to make ends meet?" He smirked.

"Yes, I can." Cordelia shot back a glare and fought the urge to swing her fist into his unsightly smirk. "Now get out of my sight."

Slayde backed off, without his mug and without his honor. His robed friend watched with an agape jaw and wide eyes. "And you!" Cordelia pointed to the robed man. "How can you sleep at night, using Naga's name to target an innocent man? Robin was a devout follower, up to the very day he had his body stolen from him!" She continued to advance on him and was now leaning over him.

"I-I… I didn't know…" He held his hands up and tried to excuse himself.

"Yes, you didn't know." Cordelia turned her gaze to the crowd who watched with ashamed eyes. "None of you knew."

With a silent, judging look, Cordelia gave one last glance towards the crowd. She then focused on Olivia, who smiled and whispered in her ear.

"He's proud of you; I can feel it."


	20. C Act II: Road Taken Part IV

Cordelia's Tale: Act II

Road Taken

Part IV

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Happy Town?_ from _Mother 3_ when you see one * mark, and _Flying Battery Zone Act 1_ from _Sonic Mania_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

Slowly but surely, after the letters had been sent, members of the Shepherds began to arrive at Tutidomas over the next two years. First was Sumia, Gaius, and Cynthia, who visited Cordelia the day they arrived. Then Stahl came, bringing the reluctant Tharja with him and their daughter, Noire. The rest of the group followed, with the last to arrive being Cherche and Ricken along with their son. Supposedly, they avoided retreating to Valm due to the rumors that it had deteriorated into a wasteland.

It threw Cordelia's mind for a loop to see people around town that recognized her and smiled at her, asking how her day was and if she was holding up alright. She had gone from dreading visiting Tutidomas to actively looking forward to strolling through the streets with her daughters. Olivia had moved out to a house five minutes away, and when she visited she pointed out that Cordelia seemed more confident.

However, in the back of her mind, there was a constant, nagging voice that told her Robin would want to be here. That voice would grow and grow to a roar unless her daughters were with her; their presence calmed her down a great deal.

When Sumia suggested paying for their education at the local school all of the Shepherds' children were going to, Cordelia initially rejected the notion. How could she make it through the day if her emotional anchors were gone for more than six hours?

She eventually realized that they were not her anchors, they were living beings who deserved an education, and she needed to adapt to being by herself. Robin would want her to, after all.

* * *

*"Did you forget your lunch?" Cordelia asked as she took Severa's satchel and began to comb through it. Snowflakes landed around her as they stood before the school.

"No, mom, I didn't." She glared at her and held her arms at her side to keep her warmth amidst the cold of the outside. "Can I have my bag back?"

"Okay, okay…" Cordelia slowly handed her daughter her satchel after confirming her lunch was in there. "How about you, Morgan?" She looked to her other daughter, whose hood was pulled over her head.

"I don't wanna go to school…" She grumbled as she folded her sleeved arms. Cordelia gently pulled her hood down to reveal her short, red hair.

"Sweetie, you have to…" Cordelia smiled as she placed her hands on her tiny shoulders.

"I wanna be homeschooled!" Morgan flailed her arms about and closed her eyes as she yelled. "Everyone I know is older than me and it's weird!" Cordelia stepped away and whispered into Severa's ear.

"Make sure you include your sister with your friends." Severa's face scrunched into a frown as Cordelia pleaded.

"...Fine." She mumbled, then grabbed Morgan by the arm. "Morgan, come on! We're gonna be late!" They disappeared into the crowd of children walking towards the school, but not before they stopped and turned around to face their mother. "Bye, mom!" They called out.

"Bye, girls!" Cordelia waved back and had to fight to keep the tears inside. "I love you!" She watched as they blushed, then disappeared into the building. As she stood there, with an emptiness in her gut, she told herself to be happy. She told herself to be proud.

Robin would be.

* * *

Cordelia's fingers strummed along the edge of the couch as she sighed. The snow outside continued to compound into piles near her windows. Her thoughts scattered like the wind outside; each statement leaving her mind just as quickly as the next.

Severa and Morgan should be here.

Robin should be here.

Is Sumia alright?

What does Olivia think of her?

Severa and Morgan are probably miserable right now.

Stop.

She took a breath and realized she had absent-mindedly paced around her living room like she was giving orders to recruited pegasus knights. She sat down on the couch and paused.

She was fine. Severa and Morgan were fine. Everything was going to be fine. She just needed to sit tight and wait. She had enough food in storage for the month, and the girls' laundry had been washed. Her duties for the day had been completed, meaning all she needed to do was relax.

Or, maybe, she could get more food ready, and do her daughters' laundry again so they were _absolutely_ clean. She could even prepare dinner for them when they came back, giving her six hours to plan on what to-

She paused, again, and sat down. She was creating needless work for herself, like all those years ago at the Shepherds' camp. She sat down with a frown and fidgeted to herself, as was the only distraction that worked for her. Cordelia was able to catch herself, meaning she had improved. All she needed to do was avoid making needless work for herself.

Her eyes drifted to the book on her end table; a slip of paper stuck out from between the pages like a reminder of unfinished business. Maybe she could fit some light reading in to distract her thoughts.

* * *

The chill of the winter air would've frozen Olivia, had she been wearing her performers' attire, but she had the intuition to wear her fuzzy coat that Chrom had made custom-fit for her. She loved the deep blue shade he had picked for her, but the Ylissean insignia on her back made her feel as though she was showing off her royalty.

As she stood before the door to Cordelia's house, she rapped her mitted knuckles against the wooden surface and waited for a response. Silence ensued before she spoke.

"Cordelia! Are you in there?" She asked. The sound of Cordelia sniffling made her ears perk up, then the door opened.

"Hel… Hello, Olivia…" Tears streaked down Cordelia's face as Olivia's eyes widened.

"Oh, gods! Are you okay? I know you didn't want to be alone while your children were at school, so I hurried over as fast as I-"

"W-what? No, no, I was just reading a sad chapter in this book." Cordelia held up her hefty book as Olivia inspected the cover.

"The Ribald Tales of the Faith War?" Olivia leaned over to inspect the novel. "Isn't that the story Sumia keeps recommending to everyone?"

"For good reason." Cordelia stepped aside as she wiped her eyes; by the time her hands were at her side, Olivia was on the couch with her coat still on. "The plot is riveting; each chapter details the downfall of the crusader, Sigurd, with each packing more intrigue than the last. The most recent chapter I read detailed the Yied Massacre, in which the prince of Leonstar and his wife were ambushed in the deserts of Yied. Hounded by dragon knights armed with Horseslayer lances, his wife was slain and his young daughter was kidnapped, forcing the prince to lay down his arms and fall."

"And this is all based on true events?" The amount of jargon in Cordelia's praise made Olivia's head spin, but she felt as though she understood the gist.

"Yes. Pages upon pages have been spent building up these characters, making their downfall all the more tragic." Cordelia paused and noticed the blank stare in Olivia's eyes. "I'm… sorry if I spoiled the novel for you. I got so wrapped up in emotions I didn't stop to think if-"

"No, no, it's fine. I'm not one for long stories anyway." Cordelia noticed that she had not removed her coat, even though the fireplace was aflame. "Anyway, while our children are away, I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you."

"What do you need?" Cordelia questioned.

"It's… I'd rather explain on the way." Olivia glanced at her side and clasped her hands together. "Can we ride your pegasus to my house?"

* * *

Freezing winds lashed at Cordelia's eyes as she gripped the reigns of her pegasus. Below her lay swaths of trees spreading out like an ocean of lumber. Olivia's hands were wrapped around her waist for stability as she closed her eyes.

"How can you stand being at this height?" Olivia yelled as that was the only way Cordelia could hear her over the howling wind.

"Years of training!" Cordelia yelled back. "Also, earmuffs!" Cordelia used her free hand to reach into her saddlebag and pulled out a pair of earmuffs. She handed them to Olivia, who immediately fitted them over her ears.

"Thank you!" She blessed the respite from the cold as she scanned the ground. "There's my house! Just land in the front yard!" Cordelia steered her mount at an angle towards the ground and slowed her ascent as they neared.

After helping Olivia off the pegasus, Cordelia patted the side of her mount's head.

"So, what do you need me to do?" Cordelia asked then waited for a response. She received none, prompting her to turn around to see Olivia pointing at the horizon.

Barely visible as they emerged from the trees was a group was a group of armed soldiers. Instinctively, Cordelia pulled out binoculars from her saddlebag and inspected the group. Warriors brandished axes as they lead the pack, pegasus knights patrolled the skies above, and mages held up the bottoms of their robes through the snow as they brought up the rear.

The skin of all the soldiers was a sickly shade of purple, and they wore masks that revealed nothing but their glowing eyes. She then noticed as Olivia pulled out a slip of paper with 'WANTED' printed out in large letters.

"They're approaching some unlucky soul's house and he placed a bounty on their heads." Olivia seemed to know that Cordelia was pondering what those soldiers needed. "They're undead made by Grima."

"How much?" Cordelia put her binoculars away and drew her lance.

"One thousand gold." Olivia unsheathed her golden blade. "I was running low and wanted to split it with you. We need to rout them and report back with proof."

"So, business as usual then." Cordelia had done enough mission of routing brigands to understand the tactical complexity of 'stick lance in bad guy.'

"Yes. I asked your help… because, well…"

"You feel self-conscious about your abilities in battle." Cordelia finished her sentence. "I'll take point and engage the fliers. Your sword should do well against those warriors, and we'll combine our efforts on the mages after the more lethal threats are taken care of."

"Wow, you sound…" Olivia pondered whether or not she should mention _him_. "You sound like Robin."

Cordelia responded with silence, and Olivia answered back in kind. "Ready?" Olivia asked as she handed the ear muffs to Cordelia.

"Ready," Cordelia replied as she stuffed the covering into her saddlebag and mounted her steed.

Olivia attempted to steel herself as she watched Cordelia fly off towards the winged opponents. Like a mouse sneaking past a cat, her feet trembled as she slowly approached. The warriors approached and their red eyes fixated on her.

One undead raised their axe and charged her; piles of snow were thrown asunder by his legs kicking them up. Yet, her breathing remained at a steady rate. This was all a show, to Cordelia and to those who watched over her from beyond the grave.

" _Basilio, Frederick… Chrom… I hope I entertain you all…_ " She focused her resolve and marched towards the undead, with all the bold resolve of a Feroxi exercising her prowess in battle.

She quickly removed her coat and tossed it aside, revealing the fabric of her swordmaster uniform underneath. Her legs spread apart and her sword was raised; she could feel Chrom's hands guiding her posture.

**The warrior's axe swung down on her like a guillotine, with just enough time for her to sidestep the blow. She quickly balanced herself on the toes of her left foot and pirouetted towards his back. Her sword pierced the pale back of the undead before she spun in the opposite direction, extending her sword like she would her arm for balance. Olivia tucked in her unneeded arm and leg to maintain her momentum as she aimed for the dazed undead's neck, and she slashed her blade with a focused strike.

Her speed was just enough to decapitate the warrior, sending his masked head to the snowy ground. She slammed her raised foot back on the ground and watched as the warrior's body tumbled to the ground, revealing the approaching crowd of more warriors followed by mages.

Olivia's gaze turned up to see Cordelia rushing the fallen pegasus knights with her lance perpendicular to her body. As Cordelia neared her flying opponents, her mind drifted back to her duel with Sumia.

She didn't need Robin here to understand that she was a prodigy in battle, no matter how much she put herself down.

Cordelia initiated a charge against the front of the pack, using the brunt side of her lance to knock the rider off her mount and to a lethal fall. The other knights didn't even glance as their comrade fell, further emphasizing that these things were unfeeling monsters. And as such, they should be put down.

She reared her steed back, dodging a sideswipe and replying by reaching into her saddlebag, grabbing a javelin, and hurling it into the chest of her attacker. The undead was struck through the heart and tumbled off her mount, who crumbled to dust in their rider's absence. Three more foes remained; three more souls to be freed from their curse of undeath.

Two pegasus knights lead the pack and charged Cordelia; even through their masks, she could see the murder in their eyes. Flying underneath them like a mole burrowing below a predator, she jerked her lance upward; her steel pierced both the mount and the rider above her. She then rose to meet the elevation of her remaining opponent, who left herself open to attack in her pause.

With a deft twirl of her lance between her fingers, Cordelia lunged at her foe, piercing her undead flesh and leaving her dazed. She watched with a glare as she slowly fell backward, off her mount and toward the ground.

Steering her mount around and patting the side of her head, she eyes up the last foe in the air. A falcon knight, armed with a polished lance and surely a more fulfilling opponent. They both charged after a moment's notice, bring their lances down on the other in a synchronized manner. Their weapons locked like the antlers of two dueling stags; Cordelia sat upright as she forced her strength upon the falcon knight.

The wings of their mounts flapped in unison as Cordelia broke through the defenses of her foe, leaving her open to a finishing blow. Grabbing her by the shoulder, Cordelia leaned in close and slid her lance through the chest of the knight. She watched as the falcon knight gasped for breath, then opened her mouth.

"Thank… you..." The undead spoke with halted breaths as Cordelia drew back, shocked at her ability to speak. She watched as the fallen soldier fell off her crumbling mount, then looked at the ground. Barely visible through the snow was a flash of pink darting and weaving along other flashes of red.

Ducking underneath the swing of an axe, Olivia slide across the ground on her back, through the freezing cold of the snow and past the undead. She propelled herself to her feet in one motion, then sliced her blade through the warrior's back. He fell to the white ground as Olivia turned her gaze to the various masked bodies strewn around the field.

Alas, her attention was not on the mage casting a fireball aimed at her head, and too late did she hear the crackling of its approach.

With a flash of red, Olivia shut her eyes and winced, only to wait for the immense heat to overcome her. Instead, it never came. In front of her was Cordelia, who held her lance up in a protective manner towards the undead mages.

"I'll be fine; just help me finish them!" Cordelia looked back to Olivia, revealing a scorched spot on her breastplate.

Olivia nodded in response and rushed past her pegasus, surprising the mages as she approached. She sidestepped another fireball that burned the snow around her feet and continued her sprint. She reached striking distance of one mage, killing him with a slight twirl of her blade, then looked ahead.

Two mages remained, both holding their tomes out and channeling magic aimed at her. She could take down one, but doing so would leave her open to the side from another.

A gust of air assaulted her side and knocked her off balance. Regaining her composure, she saw Cordelia charge one mage and impale him before he could react.

Knowing that her advance was safe, Olivia charged the last mage in his confusion and brought her fist into his hooded head, knocking him to the floor. She then leaned over him; her sword angled down as though she was embedding it in stone. With nary a word or one-liner, she struck the undead through the throat.

She turned around and bowed to Cordelia, who clapped and cheered her on. Her bow was interrupted when she felt something on her leg. She looked down to see a tiny, shelled insect the size of her thumb exit the hood of the mage and crawl up her leg. A scream echoed out of her lips as she fell to the ground and began frantically kicking her legs.

"Get it off! Get it off get it off get it off!" She kicked the insect off her leg and hurriedly stepped on it with her boot. She then stepped on it again just to be sure. As she stood over the smudge of purple, she paused, then began to laugh. Cordelia joined in too, and soon they found themselves laughing uncontrollably.

"You were… amazing to watch… It was like a grand dance routine…" Cordelia struggled to contain her laughter as she smiled.

"Oh, please… That was nothing… My form was off, and you had to rescue me." Olivia smiled as well but shifted back to a frown.

"If you set the bar so high for yourself, then you're just making excuses for when you make a mistake like everyone else," Cordelia replied, echoing the message Robin had told her all those years ago. Olivia initially paused, as she didn't expect Cordelia to be so forward about the issue, but eventually, she spoke.

"You're right."


	21. C Act II: Road Taken Part V

Cordelia's Tale: Act II

Road Taken

Part V

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Bubblaine_ from _Super Mario Odyssey_ when you see one * mark, and _Aquatic Ambience_ from _Donkey Kong Country_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

By the time recess had begun, Severa wished for the school day to be over already. As if it wasn't bad enough that she needed to sit on an uncomfortable chair for who knows how long, the whole day had just been spent meeting her teachers and other students, most of which she already knew because of her mother. She didn't need to know who Brady was, or that he had a pet hamster because she already knew that.

Her eyes turned to the cloudy skies above, praying that her mother would fly in on her pegasus and rescue her from this boredom.

"Hey, sis," Morgan asked from behind. More children poured into the yard from the school while adults watched from the fence stretching along the perimeter. "Watcha lookin' at the sky for?"

Severa grumbled in response as she looked around the yard. Several swing sets were still open and waiting for someone to take a spot on them, along with a set of monkey bars, a structure lined with slides, and-

"Sis!" Morgan yelled as she tugged Severa's arm. "Can you at least act like I exist?"

"Huh?" Severa responded and turned to face her little sister with a blank stare. "Oh, yeah uh…" She quickly glanced and saw a boy with short, black hair waving his hands around and yelling something about 'Sacred Stones.' He struck a pose with his right hand covering his face, while a girl with orange pigtails struck a similar pose behind him. "Go hang out with Cynthia and Owain. They won't mind."

"But they're older than me!" Morgan whined as she held her arms at her side.

"Trust me, they're not. _At least not in terms of age._ " Severa replied then thought to herself. "Now go hang out with them."

"...Fine." With a stomp every step of the way, Morgan walked to Owain and Cynthia. With her annoying sister out of the way, Severa made a beeline for the swingset and promptly set her rear upon the leather seat held up by chains.

The sounds of other children playing around her filled her eardrums as she pushed her feet off the ground, propelling the seat forward. After tucking her legs in during the forward movements of the chair, her momentum increased along with her excitement. Wind lashed at the sides of her face as she tightened her grip on the chains; her white ponytails whipped behind her from said wind.

After a few minutes passed, Severa decided she had enough thrills for now and slowed herself. By the time she stopped moving, she noticed that the swing to her left was occupied.

"Hi, Severa." Noire smiled as she began to slowly rock back and forth. Severa waved back silently as she followed Noire's rocking movements. Whenever her mother went to visit Noire's parents, Severa made sure to tag along just to visit Noire. "Are you bored too?"

"Yeah. Why do we have to do all these stupid name games?" Severa asked as she smiled. Noire smiled back.

"It's so annoying. There are only four people in our class that I don't know, and they all seem like meani-" Before Noire could finish speaking, a distinct sound cut her off.

The sound of a raspberry being blown.

"Look out! It's the freak!" One voice called out. Both Severa and Noire scanned the area to see who said that.

Standing before Noire were five boys, four of which Severa had not known before today, and the fifth one being a boy with blue hair who Severa presumed was her friend: Inigo.

"Stay back, or she'll curse ya!" The small, pudgy boy who seemed to be the leader called out. His brown hair resembled an electrocuted rat that had crawled on his bald head. Severa believed her name was Bheg, or something stupid like that.

The rest of the boys, including Inigo, laughed and pointed fingers at Noire. "I hear her mom uses her as a guinea pig for her hexes!"

"That's not-" Noire opened her mouth to protest before she was interrupted, again.

"You think her mom threatens her with more curses if she comes home late?" A quill-necked boy wearing a green bandana poked his head out from the side of the crowd and mocked. Whispers around the playground talked about Attab, the bandana boy, and his second-in-command Bheg as the feared bullies of the school.

Severa glared at all of them but especially focused on Inigo. He was a friend; a _good_ friend. Why would he be doing this?

"P-probably." Inigo blushed as he spoke, causing his 'friends' to laugh and pat him on the shoulder as they guffawed.

"Don't you idiots have anything better to do?" Severa stood up and pointed a finger at their dumb, smirking faces.

"Yeah, and it doesn't involve dealing with you losers." Attab tossed his hands up and walked away. "Come on, let's leave witch girl alone before her mom shoves frogs down our throats!" His cronies laughed at his passing remark while Severa made sure to glare at Inigo as he walked away.

"Those morons don't deserve our time." Severa sat back on her swing and noticed that Noire was staring at the dirt on the ground.

"I knew this would happen…" She began to fumble with her bag and pulled out a slip of paper. "My mom gave me something this morning. A super-duper powerful hex that I can only use on the meanest of bullies."

"Wouldn't that just prove their point that your mother is a witch?" Severa tilted her head to the side as she asked.

"I'd rather be feared than be picked on," Noire replied back as she got to her feet. "I'm gonna go get some water. Can you please watch my things?" Severa replied with a nod as Noire smiled and walked away. As she sat there, staring at Noire's bag, she found herself consumed by what exactly was in that bag.

Was it really a powerful curse? Was Noire lying to make it seem like she had a trick up her sleeve?

Her curiosity got the better of her as she opened the bag and sorted through Noire's things. A quill, a sealed ink bottle, a wrapped sandwich with a heart drawn on it, and finally a slip of paper. Severa's tiny fingers fumbled with the slip of paper as her heartbeat raced. Was she going to be cursed?

She finally opened the note and began to read along.

"Noire: sooner or later, you will attract the ire of unsavory specimens at your academy. This does not make you abnormal; on the contrary, you are very healthy for your age. Regardless, the strongest weapon you have against these buffoons is on this slip of paper. Simply read the following message aloud with no fear in your heart. 'My mother and father love me, and you cannot take that away from me.' With love (and hugs and kisses): your mother."

Severa noticed that 'hugs and kisses' was written in a scribbly handwriting compared to Tharja's refined strokes, leading her to believe it was written by Stahl. She put the slip of paper back inside Noire's bag and sat back on her swing. She felt a tingling sensation in her chest, but mostly she just felt happy for Noire. By the time Noire returned and sat on her swing, Severa just smiled at her.

"Listen, if those meanies ever pick on you again, just gimme a holler. I'll help defend you."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to get caught in the crosshairs of that powerful curse…" Noire replied.

"Oh, believe me." Severa cracked a smile. "I'll be fine."

* * *

By the time school let out, Severa was so exhausted that she had to struggle to move her legs towards her mother, who waited outside the building with her pegasus. Severa ran into the arms of her mother and almost collapsed as she melted into her embrace.

"How was your day?" Cordelia asked as she embraced her daughter.

"Decent," Severa replied in a weak tone. "I wanna take a nap…" Severa felt a force slam into her, then noticed that Morgan had joined the group hug.

"I'm so tired, and school was so boring, and…" Morgan could barely find the energy to speak before Cordelia lifted her daughters up onto her pegasus one at a time. Once both of them were onboard and slumped forward, Cordelia began to lead her steed towards their house. She waved and said hello to the other members of the Shepherds that were picking up their children.

Before Severa fell asleep, she saw Noire run into her mother's embrace and remain there for a good while.

* * *

"Severa… Severa, come on." A hushed voice broke Severa's tranquil slumber and forced her to slowly open her eyes. She moved her head across her comfy pillow and prepared to shield her eyes from the morning light. As she opened her eyes, however, she noticed that it was still dark outside.

Her mother was leaning over her with a smile on her face, and her red hair draping over the side of her bed like a curtain. "It's time to get up."

"What time is it…?" Severa groaned as she rolled onto her side on her bed.

"Approximately four in the morning. Remember how I said you should go to bed early because we have to wake up early?"

Severa replied with a groan as she slowly rolled her sheets down and climbed out of her bed. She noticed that her sister was standing in the doorway, or rather leaning on it for support judging by her posture and weary eyes.

Upon her head was a coned, rainbow-colored hat that had the number eight on it. In her mouth was a party blower, that extended out like an arm whenever she blew into it. "Grab your coats and swimsuits. We're heading somewhere warm for your sister's birthday." Cordelia handed Severa the frilled, green swimsuit that she had bought last week.

* * *

*The gentle, yet loud crashing of the ocean's waves became a repetitive rhythm to Severa's ears as she felt sand slip between her toes. Bright sunlight bore down on her as she inspected the ocean to see Owain, Brady, Inigo, Kjelle and Yarne splashing around in the deeper end, bobbing up and down with the waves. Nah and Gerome, on the other hand, were sticking to the shallower end where they could stand. They were all in the water, except for Laurent, who seemed to be relaxing with his mother underneath the shade of a palm tree. Upon closer inspection, Severa realized that Laurent's black-haired father was with them, it was just hard to pick him out from the shade for some reason.

Severa would join them, except she didn't know how to swim. Not living near a swimming pool for all her life had that effect on her, whereas her friends probably frequented one before they moved to her town.

What puzzled Severa was where Lucina and Cynthia were. She knew they were here, as they all walked through that big, glowing door to the beach together, but she couldn't seem to find them. So she walked along the coast, searching for them past the parents of her friends that waved to her as she walked by.

Eventually, she found Lucina and Cynthia towards the midsection of the beach, between the top of the shore and the ocean. They seated themselves on the sand with tiny buckets and shovels.

"There you are! I was looking everywhere for you!" Severa spoke as she seated herself next to Lucina on the hot sand. "What're you doing?"

"Building a sand castle," Noire answered as she spoke from behind Severa and set a bucket of wet sand down.

"We're gonna make the best castle ever!" Cynthia smiled as she eagerly grabbed the bucket and flipped it upside-down. While Severa helped with the construction of the sand castle, she asked her best friend a couple questions.

"Did you tell your mom about Inigo?" Over the last few months, Lucina and Severa both noticed that Inigo had fallen in with a bad crowd and become the true enemy of their town. Not a follower of Grima, or a bandit. A bully.

"She says he's just going through a phase," Lucina replied as she used her shovel to begin digging a moat. "And that she'll talk to him about it."

"I know that you're his sister and all," Noire chimed in. "But I can't stand being around him."

"Bullies are the true scum of the earth," Cynthia spoke in an unsettlingly low voice as she bowed her head. Severa and the others were unnerved by how deep her vocabulary was, considering she was only ten.

"...Riiiiiight." Severa paused; maybe Cynthia had been spending too much time with Owain.

As they continued to build their castle, they almost neared completion before disaster reared its ugly head. A shadow loomed over the tiny structure of sand, an omen of ruin for their creation.

Inigo leaned over the tiny castle and raised his foot back, threatening to kick the castle over and ruin their progress. By the time Severa, Lucina and Noire noticed, it would've been too late to stop him. Cynthia, however, had noticed his approach.

"Begone, fiend!" Cynthia yelled as she grabbed a clump of sand and threw it at Inigo's eyes, sending him tumbling to the sandy ground and clutching his face as he wailed.

"Woah! Cynthia!" Another shadow loomed over the group; a shadow casted by Cynthia's father. "You can't throw sand at people like that!" He had a stern look on his face as the other children shirked away. Cynthia frowned back at him.

"He was gonna kick over our sand castle!" Cynthia pouted.

"Then you talk him down. _Nonviolently_." Gaius folded his arms and walked over to Inigo. He helped the boy to his feet and took his hand, then held his other hand out to Cynthia. "Come on, both of you are going to apologize in front of Olivia."

"I don't wanna!" Cynthia protested and kept her arms at her side. She stood there for a good few minutes before the disapproving stare of her father broke her defenses. "...Fine." She took her father's hand and walked off towards Sumia and Olivia, who were relaxing on chairs towards the top of the beach. Inigo followed closely behind.

* * *

Cordelia was thankful for her foresight to purchase sunglasses, as the bright sun above would've hurt her eyes if she didn't bring any protection. As she laid on her beach chair with Robin's cloak tied around her like a towel, her eyes scanned the pages of her favorite book. Morgan sat next to her on a smaller beach chair as she held her wrapped present.

"Can I open it yet?" She asked as she felt along the edges of the gift. She knew it was a book, but not what book it was. It could be a fictional tale, a story based on real events, or anything, really. The desire to know had built up inside her with every passing minute as she held the gift.

"...Oh, go right ahead." Cordelia spoke while Morgan beamed. She had picked out a book recounting the War of Shadows, but it was written so that a child could understand it. Cordelia put down her book and turned to see Morgan's smile while she inspected the title of her gift.

"The Hero King and the Shadow Dragon?" She excitedly read the title aloud and set the book on her chair. She got up and hugged her mother, who hugged her back. "Thank you!"

"Enjoy your early birthday gift," Cordelia replied as Morgan sat back down in her chair. Cordelia then resumed to read her book, and continued to read for what she presumed was five minutes before a soft hand tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up to see Sumia standing over her, wearing both a purple bikini that exposed her stomach and a smile on her face. "Oh, hello Sumia."

"Hi, Cordelia." Sumia waved and turned to face Morgan. "Hello, Morgan. What're you reading?"

"It's a book about the Hero King!" Morgan proudly held up her gift while Sumia inspected the book.

"That looks like a good read," Sumia smiled back and turned to Cordelia. "Mind if I take a seat?"

"Go right ahead," Cordelia answered as she set her book down in her satchel. She then watched as Sumia returned with a chair of her own and sat down on it. "So, how are the Ylissean Pegasus Knights doing?"

"I disbanded them," Sumia responded in an indifferent voice.

"You… What?" Cordelia stuttered and blinked; why would Sumia do such a thing?

"The Ylissean Castle fell two years ago, and Ylisstol followed, so I gave the remaining knights a choice: move to Tutidomas with me and operate there, or retire," Sumia answered as she laid on her back. "Most joined me at Tutidomas, and a few retired. We are now known as the Storm Clouds of Regna Ferox"

"So you didn't really dissolve the knights, but more… evolved?" Cordelia turned to face Sumia.

"I guess you could look at it like that." Sumia shrugged her shoulders. "To be honest, I like working close to home anyway. It gives me more time to spend with Gaius and Cynthia."

"Did Cynthia really throw sand in Inigo's eyes?" Cordelia remembered seeing a commotion near the shoreline and Gaius bringing Inigo and Cynthia to Olivia.

"...Yeah, she did…" Sumia sighed as she slumped back in her seat. "Sometimes I worry that she'll get into serious trouble with her lack of impulse control."

Before Cordelia could even discuss the subject further, Sumia changed the topic to avoid Cordelia chewing her out. "So, how's your work as a mercenary?"

"How'd you know I was doing that?" Cordelia hadn't necessarily told anyone besides her family and Olivia that she changed professions.

"When all the wanted posters in town are missing, you tend to notice. Also, Gaius saw you take one last month. You're doing Naga's work, by the way. Keeping the town safe is no easy feat." Sumia answered.

"To be honest, it's not so different from what I did with the pegasus knights. It's just on foot is all." Cordelia had gotten into a rhythm of doing a few bounties whenever her children were at school. It kept her wallet full and gave her something to think about. "Now, why did Cynthi-"

"So how far are you into Ribald Tales?" Sumia blurted out and changed the subject entirely. Cordelia went along, again.

"I'm nearing the end. Seliph and his army are advancing towards Belhalla to defeat Julius." Cordelia replied, but knew that this was a ploy by Sumia.

"That part in the last chapter, where Seliph went to the coast after striking down Arvis, and he sees the ghosts of his parents…" Sumia's eyes watered for a moment before she wiped them. "That got me right in the heartstrings…"

"That was a great moment. In my eyes, however, the best scene was Finn rescuing Leif from the burning Leonstar manor." Cordelia made her counterpoint as she began to pull the loose fabric of her one-piece swimsuit.

"Oh, gods… Finn… Can you imagine being the sole survivor of an army, then to fight for the children of your deceased friends?" Sumia replied. Cordelia loved discussing books with Sumia and made a mental note to do this more often with her.

"You shouldn't worry about Cynthia. I heard that Inigo deserved it." Cordelia changed the topic, much to Sumia's dismay.

"She still threw sand in his eyes. Your kids look so easy to take care of…" Sumia sighed as she noticed that Gaius was approaching.

"And your daughter has a great sense of justice that will serve her well, and you'd do best to point out her strengths rather than her weaknesses," Cordelia replied in a normal tone. The intent of her message was not to criticize Sumia, but to help her.

"I… You're right, as usual." Sumia laughed to herself as she stood up and hugged Cordelia. "Thanks for being a steady shoulder to lean on."

"Anytime." Cordelia smiled and waved to Sumia. Her friend walked to Gaius and planted a kiss on his lips before walking along the beach with his hand grasped in her own.

* * *

Lucina sighed as she inspected her finished palace of sand. She had drawn the Ylissean royal insignia on the front and felt a sense of pride in her construction. Of course, she owed it to her friends as well, as their skills worked in tandem with hers to make a finished product they could all appreciate.

"That's quite a nice castle you've built." A woman with green hair and a red bikini sat down next to Lucina.

"Hi, Tiki." Lucina remembered Tiki from seeing her around town. She wasn't sure what exactly he did, but the other townsfolk treated her as though she was a deity, so she must be important in one way or another.

"I'd say it's a grander sight than the palace of the Hero King." Tiki smiled as she began to drag her finger along the sand. She then looked up to see a flock of seagulls flying against the blue sky.

"...How do you know that?" Lucina's curiosity was peaked.

"You do know I was alive in the era of the Hero King, right?" Tiki asked; she could never tell if people knew her history or not. Sometimes she enjoyed being treated as a normal citizen, and others she relished in being an eyewitness to legends.

"Wait, whaaaaaat?" Lucina's jaw went agape and her eyes widened. "You knew my great great great great great great great great great-"

"You ancestor, Mar-Ma-" Tiki stopped herself and paused. She shook her head and resumed speaking. "Your ancestor, Marth. I was a close friend of his, back then."

"You knew Marth? What was he like? What was his favorite color? Did he have a lot of friends?" Lucina had always wanted to know about her family tree, yet there was only so much she could learn through tomes.

"Please, slow down!" Tiki laughed and held her hand up. "Well, he was strong, like his blade, yet his heart beated in tune with the many souls of his army. Their troubles were his troubles, and behind his smile, you could see a man tormented by the ghosts of his past."

Lucina's eyes widened as this information washed over her like the waves behind. "Also, his favorite color was blue." She took another gaze to the sky and sighed. "After all these years, my memories of him and my friends remain in my mind. I suppose it is my curse; they are up in the stars while I am down on this earth."

"Aww, don't worry, Tiki." Lucina stood up and held out her hand. "I'll be your friend."

"Why, thank you, Lucina." Tiki smiled as she shook Lucina's tiny hand. "I know that Marth would be proud to call you his descendant."

Tiki's attention focused to Lucina's palace of sand. "Now, how about we build some impenetrable defenses for your castle?"

* * *

**Severa tapped her bare foot on the sand at the edge of the ocean. The wet sand stuck to her toes, no matter how forcefully she tapped to remove it. She stared at the ocean, glaring at this beast who she could not traverse.

A hand tapped on her shoulder; Severa turned around to see her mother standing behind her.

"Do you want to go for a swim?" Cordelia asked.

"You know I can't," Severa replied as she folded her arms.

"Come on, I'll teach you." Cordelia took her daughter by the hand and slowly walked towards the crashing waves. Severa winced as she felt the cold brine from the ocean wash over her feet. Is this what the ocean felt like? She had never known until now.

She moaned in discomfort as Cordelia led her on, digging her feet into the sand to stop her mother as they walked deeper and deeper into the ocean. Alas, Cordelia's strength overpowered her as she was now neck-high in the water.

"Mom! Please let's go back! Stop!" She screamed as she used her other hand to splash around in the bobbing waves. Cordelia turned around and noticed the panicked look on Severa's face.

"Here, cover your nose, eyes, and mouth on the count of three." Cordelia placed her hand gently on the top of Severa's head. "If you're still scared, we can get out and go to the shore."

"...Fine." Severa pinched her nose with her fingers and covered her eyes.

"One…" Cordelia spoke. Severa's anxiety began to build. "Two…" Severa took a deep breath. "Three!"

Severa's heartbeat climbed as she felt herself slowly pushed underneath the waves. The cold water washed over her, but she did not die like she thought she would. Instead, she simply sat underneath the water and held her breath. By the time she surfaced, she opened her eyes to see the smile on her mother's face. "How was it?"

"I wanna do it again, but with my eyes open," Severa replied as she ran her hands through her wet, sandy hair.

"Use these," Cordelia revealed in her free hand that she had a pair of goggles. She helped fit them over Severa's eyes. "Do you want to do it on you own or-"

Without an inch of fear in her mind, Severa lowered her head underneath the water while Cordelia watched with a smile on her face. Her pride in her daughter built with every second that she spent underwater.

Underneath the waves, Severa found an azure world of beauty that she could barely describe. Light bounced off of the waves and illuminated the floor of the sea, giving it a blue glow. She quickly surfaced, gathered her breath, then bobbed underneath the sea again. She took all the time she could to scan the sea floor before she surfaced again.

When Severa went back underwater, she found a new sight before her. Her mother followed her beneath the sea; her hair flowed and weaved like a flame. A flame emanating from a smiling sun, that is. As they both surfaced, Severa waded through the water into her mother's arms and looked up to her.

"Can we go deeper?" She asked. Cordelia nodded and took her by the hand, but now Severa was actively following rather than resisting her tug.

"Here, float on your back like this…" Cordelia lifted her daughter up by her legs so that she was floating on her back. She stretched her arms out and rested atop the waves. To her surprise, she floated on the water as though she was laying on the ground. Cordelia held her by the arm and slowly dragged her across the waves while she relaxed.

Time seemed to lose all meaning as Severa relaxed on the waves, rocking up and down with the motions of the water. She noticed that her mother was swimming, for a good while even. But after a short while, Cordelia seemed to step on something and find a footing.

"What are you standing on?" Severa asked; she felt water slip into her eardrums and dreaded having to get said water out.

"The sandbar," Cordelia answered. "You can stand here too."

Severa broke her float and found that there was indeed a raised bar of sand that they were standing on. They were a good distance out from the shore; her friends and their parents looked like ants from this distance.

"We're so far out…" Severa stated as she gripped her mother's hand.

"Your father always liked coming out this far whenever we came to the beach," Cordelia spoke; Severa noticed that unlike all the other times her mother mentioned her father, she did not seem upset. Instead, she seemed… happy.

So they remained there, floating up and down on the gentle waves. It may have been for five, or ten, or fifteen minutes.

Severa couldn't care less about time; the only thing she cared about was floating on the waves next to her and smiling.


	22. C Act II: Road Taken Part VI

Cordelia's Tale: Act II

Road Taken

Part VI

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Bramble Blast_ from _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_ when you see one * mark, and _Those Who Stand Against Our Path_ from _Xenoblade 2_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

The sound of wooden sticks clanging against each other rung out like a warhorn as Cordelia walked down the foggy streets of Tutidomas. After greeting Donnel and catching up on what he had done for the past month, she had acquired her groceries and began to make for her home. Her curiosity was piqued, however, by the crossing sticks, and she followed the sounds until she found herself standing in front of a yard.

Torches were placed around the grassy square to illuminate two figures; a boy reaching the height of Cordelia's chest and a man matching her eye level.

"I've got you now, dad!" The boy called out as he pulled his right hand back. "With the dark power of my right hand, I call upon the steel of the Radiant Daw-" As he raised his stick and called out, his father tapped him in the chest with his own stick.

"You left yourself open in your theatrics," Lon'qu spoke in a blunt voice; Cordelia noticed that he did not have a look of disappointment. "Again, but without your posing and shouting."

"But daaaaaaaaad! Combat's no fun when both sides are serious!" Owain protested as he moped.

"When your life is in danger, you will not be thinking about fun. You will be thinking about your survival." Lon'qu stood in front of his son and loomed over him. "Do I make myself clear?"

"...Fine." Owain grumbled as he picked his stick back up. Cordelia continued to watch from the sidelines as the father and son engaged in mock combat. She remembered the occasional times in which she would witness Lon'qu fight brigands for the Shepherds. His style resembled that of a wolf closing in on its prey; frenetic and rapid with a flurry of blows created to wear down its foe.

Now, as his wooden weapon clashed with his son's, it was clear that he had a new style. Controlled, precise. Every swing was telegraphed that even Cordelia, who had no practice in swordplay whatsoever, could probably parry his swings. It was clear that the wolf was teaching its cubs to hunt.

She continued to watch as Owain parried an overhead swing from Lon'qu and knocked him off balance with his force. He twirled his blade and disarmed his father with a flick of a wrist; Cordelia swore that she had seen Lon'qu perform that exact same maneuver back in the day. Back when her deceased husb-

" _Missing._ " Cordelia caught her mistake and sighed. Back when her missing husband was still with her.

"And with his master defeated on the ground before him, Owain Dark knew at last that he had completed his traini-" Owain's voice shifted into his theatrical tone, again, as Lon'qu groaned.

"We only started last week." Lon'qu stood up and sighed. "You also forgot to tap my chest, meaning you haven't bested me yet."

"Oh, well uh…" Owain slowly brought the tip of his mock sword towards his father's chest, only for Lon'qu to push the tip back with only one hand. Owain tried and tried to beat his father's strength, but could not. "Just… Gotta… Push…" Beads of sweat began to trickle down his face. Cordelia noticed the smile on Lon'qu's face.

"That's enough for today. Now let's go home and-" Lon'qu turned to face Cordelia and stopped himself. His eyes focused on her as she waved to him. She wondered why he didn't wave back, but her answer was made clear as a figure walked past her.

"You two seem to be having fun." Lissa smiled as she walked to a nearby picnic table. She set down a platter of… something. Cordelia couldn't see what it was from her angle due to Lissa's back. "I made you a batch of cookies to help you get your strength back."

"Thank you, mom!" Owain scrambled away from his father with newfound energy and grabbed a cookie before throwing it into his mouth. He then hugged his mother.

"Oh, hi Cordelia!" Lissa turned to face Cordelia and waved to her. "Come on, there are enough cookies for everyone." Cordelia smiled and waved to Lissa's family as she approached and took a cookie off the plate.

"Hi, Aunt Cordelia." Owain smiled at her from his mother's embrace. Lon'qu silently waved and uncharacteristically smiled. "Did you witness me best my father in combat?"

"You didn't win." Lon'qu quickly retorted before Lissa shot him a glare.

"Just let him have it." She whispered. Fearing the wrath of his wife, Lon'qu quickly silenced himself with a cookie. "So how have you been in these last few months?" The last time Lissa had spoken with Cordelia beyond a greeting had been since that beach trip last year.

"Oh, you know, just getting by," Cordelia spoke; she knew she had enough food and gold to survive for the next decade, she just didn't know how to word her situation. "I'm starting to get over Robin. A bit."

"I can't imagine how awful it must have been for you to lose him." Lissa shifted her gaze downward. "I'm glad to hear you're getting better, though."

"I had to, for my sake and for my daughters'. They were my beacons to guide me through the darkness of grief." Cordelia often thought where she might be if Severa and Morgan were not born.

"Hey, having long words is my trick, okay?" Owain took offense that his style was being cramped. Lon'qu handed him a cookie as a means to quiet him.

"Our kin know us better than the rest of the world." Lon'qu added.

"Speaking of them, I really need to get going." Cordelia wished she could spend the rest of the day chatting away with Lissa, but she simply had to check on her childr-

On the other hand, Severa promised to not do anything reckless, and Cordelia knew that Severa had never lied for eleven years. Maybe they would be fine after all. "On second thought, I can stay a while longer."

* * *

By the time Cordelia returned home after saying her goodbyes to Lissa and her family, she opened the front door of her home and into the empty living room.

"Severa! Morgan! I brought dinner!" She called out as she hung her coat and set the groceries down, but to no response. The empty living room didn't worry her before, as maybe Olivia had picked up her children and went home, leaving Severa and Morgan to retreat to their rooms.

When Cordelia entered their rooms and saw they were empty, she began to worry. Panic began to build in her mind as she rushed outside. She scanned around for something that indicated where they had gone, and her gaze turned downward, revealing four pairs of boot prints wading through the wet grass.

A scream cut through her silence and sent her heartbeat climbing. Severa's. Cordelia scrambled towards the stables and grabbed her lance. She rushed along the tracks with her grip on her lance tightening by the second. Trying her best to ignore the panic in her thoughts, she followed the tracks to the forest; the one place she told her daughters not to go.

Like a falcon rushing to the defense of her chicks, she sprinted into the vast expanse of the forest.

* * *

"I'm heading out for groceries. Do you four need anything?" Cordelia asked as she grabbed her coat. Severa looked out a window to see the morning sun hidden behind rain clouds. Puddles formed in the ground from the flurry of raindrops.

"No thank you." Severa and Morgan responded. Lucina mimicked their tone and statement.

"No," Inigo replied without bothering to look at his aunt.

"I'll be back soon." Cordelia opened the door, revealing the torrential rain outside. "You can go outside if the weather clears up, but not into the forest. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes." The children responded. Cordelia smiled and waved as she walked outside and out of view. Severa got to her feet off the couch and walked to Lucina.

"What do you wanna do?" She asked her friend who sat at the table.

"I dunno," Lucina replied. After her mother dropped her off at Severa's house, she realized she hadn't brought any board games.

"What, are you gonna do something stupid? Like play ten rounds of hide and seek?" Inigo spoke in a mocking tone; surely they weren't dumb enough to do something so tedious and mundane.

"Oh yeah? We'll show you!" Severa glared at Inigo and looked around. "We'll play _eleven_ rounds of hide and seek! But we can't play with only three people. Morgan!" Severa looked around for her sister. She found her sitting underneath the table curled up in a fetal position. Severa got down on her knees and tilted her head to the side as she looked at her sister. "Are you already getting started or…"

"I don't wanna play hide and seek! I wanna read!" Morgan whined. "Why do I have to be involved with every single game you play?"

* * *

The look of pure defeat in Morgan's eyes were like a conqueror who had lost a war and their kingdom. She slumped over in her seat and glared at those who bested her.

"Where are you?" Lucina called out as she walked through the room.

"There's only so many places she can hide after _twelve rounds_." Morgan groaned. "Check under the table." Lucina got to her knees and checked underneath the table.

"Cheater!" Severa called out as she crawled out from underneath the table. "That win doesn't count."

"You say that every time you lose." Lucina groaned back.

"Because you only won when Morgan cheated." Severa sat down on the couch next to her sister. She watched with contempt as Inigo walked out of the hallway with that dumb smirk on his face.

"Why did you play twelve rounds of hide and seek?" He asked in a jeering tone.

"To prove you wrong, idiot." Severa folded her arms and glared back. Lucina sighed and asked herself why these two hated each other so.

"You wanna prove me wrong?" Inigo smirked; if silent contempt was a weapon these two were masters of it. "Then go to the forest."

"But my mom said not to!" Severa and Morgan both spoke on instinct. To go against their mother's word was unthinkable.

"My friends go against their parents all the time, yet you wonder why they're cooler than you." Inigo stood in front of the door. A thick blanket of fog rolled outside, covering the hills and the forest that Inigo was so vexed by.

"Nobody's cooler than me! I'm the coolest there is!" Severa stood up and was right in front of his dumb, punchable face. "I'll prove it!"

"Severa, no. He's luring you out…" Lucina knew from experience the way her brother operated. Frequently he would dare Lucina to do something obscene or against the rules, but he was powerless if he was given no attention.

"My friends say there's a waterfall in the woods… It's the prettiest sight you could see. Surely, you'd want to go see it, right?" Inigo asked. "Unless you were a _chicken_."

"Will you two just shut up already?" Morgan yelled and almost hurt Severa's eardrums with how loud her voice was. "If you two numskulls wanna go charge into the spooky forest, then you can do it without me! I'm staying right here!" She then stomped over to the table and sat down, glaring at her imbecile friends. "I am not getting out of this chair."

* * *

*For the second time today, Morgan had the look of a defeated conqueror, who after losing his country was now paraded around in a jester costume by his captors. She screamed at Severa as she was dragged through the foggy plains to reach the forest, and she only stopped when Lucina requested that she did.

Lucina tagged along, simply because she didn't want to see either her friends or her brother get hurt. She thought the Hero King would do the same, so she had no option but to go with them.

Inigo tagged along to make sure Severa stuck to her end of the bargain.

"See?" Severa stood before her kid sister and pointed up to the sky as they entered the forest. Vast swathes of tree branches covered the horizon, lessening the light that reached the forest. "Isn't it pretty?"

"I wanna go home," Morgan whined as she stomped her foot.

"You can go home after we find the waterfall, okay?" Severa smiled at her as Lucina and Inigo observed their surroundings. The sounds of birds chirping added to the peaceful atmosphere of the forest. "And if mom finds out, I'll say we forced you to come."

"...Okay." Morgan looked to her side and finally answered. She found that she could agree with Severa more often when neither of them were yelling.

After realizing that Inigo did not know where the waterfall was, the group set out in a random direction in the hopes that they would find it. Soon enough, after walking past tall trees and short bushes, they found a fallen log bridging a gap caused by a river. They walked single-file down the log, with Inigo bringing up the rear behind Lucina.

Given that Severa was not currently in earshot, Lucina decided to spring a question on her brother.

"Why are you hanging out with those bullies at school?" She had wondered this question for a while now, as the years of their education went by.

"Because they're cool," Inigo responded back in a nonchalant tone.

"I wouldn't say picking on others during recess is 'cool.'" Lucina raised her hands and made air quotes with her fingers. The group jumped off the log on the other side of the river and resumed walking.

"But they're the ones picking on people. I just watch. My hands are clean."

"And you can stop them. Evil wins when good people do nothing, brother." Lucina turned her head to face Inigo while they walked. "You're better than this; I know and so does mother. Would father want you to grow up like this?"

"...No." Inigo bowed his head as his thoughts began to spin. He remembered how Severa and he never fought before school, and how his friends didn't leave him alone during lunch. Even his 'bully' friends didn't sit with him.

Was he doing the right thing? Obviously not; he knew that Noire and many of his former friends hated his guts. But did he have to continue doing the wrong thing? Was the friendship of bullies worth more than the friendship of his cousins?

About fifteen minutes of silent walking continued before Inigo made up his mind.

"Hey, Severa! Wait up!" Inigo yelled as he ran to the front of the pack where Severa was. Lucina smiled, knowing that she was making progress. "We don't have to go find the waterfall, you know. It's not worth getting lost and-"

"What are you: a chicken?" Severa interrupted him. She couldn't pass up an opportunity to mock him.

"No, I just don't think it's smart to risk getting lost out here and-"

"Baaaawk! Bawk bawk bawk! Look at me, I'm Inigo and I'm a big, dumb chicken!" Severa began flapping her arms as though they were wings and laughing to herself as her mimicry made his blood boil.

She was the only person laughing.

"You know what?" Inigo's gritted his teeth and his face turned beet red. "I'm going home. Have fun getting lost in the forest and dying!" Inigo stomped away as he held his hands at his side. Morgan glared at her sister and followed Inigo away past the foggy trees.

"We don't need you, anyway!" Severa called out as she watched Inigo and Morgan walk away. Lucina stood there, glaring at her. "Well, are you coming or not?"

Lucina knew she couldn't leave Severa all by herself out here.

"Fine." She answered as she followed Severa. "Why do you enjoy mocking him ?"

"Because it's payback for him and his jerk friends mocking me at school." Severa continued to walk. The waterfall must be around here somewhere. "I don't care if I had a crush on him when I was six. I hate him."

"You… You had a crush on him?" Lucina stammered. She had known Severa all her life yet this fact eluded her.

"Yeah, before he turned into a jerk," Severa replied. The paths through the forest were starting to blur into her mind. "Did we pass that tree already?"

"Do you think you still have a crush on him?" Lucina asked the more pressing question. She found it downright bizarre that someone could love her brother.

"W-what?! No! It's not like I still think he's kinda cute..." Severa hated that whenever Inigo came to her house, she always noticed how pretty his eyes are. Was it possible for her to both hate and like someone at the same time?

She would have to ask her mother about this.

Lucina stopped after they walked for what must have been five minutes. Fog rolled through their surroundings, making it impossible to see far away objects. Only objects that were within a stone's throw could be seen, like a clearing in the distance. Lucina pointed towards the opening and walked towards it; Severa followed behind closely.

"Hey, do you hear that?" Lucina held her hand up as the duo stopped. The faint sound of rushing water reached her ears.

"Yeah," Severa replied as she walked past Lucina. The fog dissipated as though Severa and Lucina had emerged from a maze, revealing rushing water that poured from the top of some rocks and emptied into a lake. "Woah…"

"I didn't think Inigo was telling the truth," Lucina replied as she inspected the rushing water. Her eyes drifted to the lake and the stones near it and noticed as Severa picked up a flat rock. She inspected the stone before hurling it at the lake.

The stone skimmed along the surface like a grasshopper bounding along the plains. After the rock sank below the water, Severa removed her shoes and lifted up her pants to reveal her bare legs. "You're not going in, right?" Lucina questioned.

"Oh, come on." Severa walked into the lake until the water was up to her knees. "The water's fine."

"But it's some backwater lake in the woods. It could be poisoned, or-" Lucina believed that a cautious approach was better than blindly charging into danger.

"You can either live your life in fear or have fun once in a while," Severa replied as she walked around the lake. She could see the floor of the lake and dragged her hand around, creating ripples in the water.

"...Fine." Lucina sighed as she lifted up her trousers and followed Severa into the lake. The cold water made her skin crawl at first, but she soon acclimated. "Don't splash me." She would be furious if her clothes were soaked.

"Wouldn't dream of it." The two walked around the lake and stayed away from the waterfall.

"It's so pretty…" Severa walked closer and closer through the blue lake. Her eyes focused on an outline from the other side of the waterfall. It seemed to be feasting on something as it hunched over and made chewing noises, and it looked to be humanoid judging by its posture.

"Who's that?" Lucina asked as she drew near. Her eyes widened as she questioned what the heck this person was eating.

"Hey! Are we interrupting something?" Severa called out. She would also be pretty mad if some random strangers found her secret hiding spot.

Severa and Lucina both watched the figure slowly get up. It jerked around like a puppet controlled by string, revealing its beady, red eyes that pierced the waterfall.

**The person forced its head out of the waterfall, revealing its wet, pointed hood that covered its face. It let out a high-pitched shriek that it held for what felt like an age. The sheer blood-curdling noise was enough to paralyze Severa and Lucina in place as the monster slowly approached. Its red eyes focused on them as it grew closer and closer.

"Run!" Severa screamed as she fell backward, soaking her clothes and chilling her body. Lucina quickly helped her back up and they sprinted in the opposite direction of the beast. Lucina's heart beated in her ears as she waded through the water. She looked behind to see the monster jerking its arms back and forth in motion like a damaged puppet as it slowly followed through the lake.

Severa grabbed Lucina by the hand and helped her out of the lake before grabbing her shoes. She could hear the sound of water rushing behind them amidst the panicked squeaks from both her and Lucina.

Severa let out her own high-pitched shriek as they ran away, for what else could she do?

* * *

"You like her, don't you?" Morgan asked as she followed behind the skulking Inigo.

"What? No, that's ridiculous." Inigo quickly shot down the notion. There was no way in heck that he liked Severa. Not her long, white hair, or her voice that Inigo enjoyed no matter how much she berated him, or her face that-

"Why else would you want to protect her from getting lost?" Morgan was so quick with a comeback that she interrupted Inigo's thoughts.

"I… I don't- Just be quiet, okay?" Inigo's cheeks went bright red as Morgan smiled to herself. After a short while of walking, they found themselves at the exit of the forest and could see Severa's house.

A shriek cut through the ambience of the forest; Severa's shriek, to be precise. Without sparing a second thought, both Morgan and Inigo quickly turned around and ran in the direction of the scream. Their thoughts filled in the blanks as to what gave Severa distress; did she fall in a ditch and injure her leg? Was she being attacked by a bear? Was it some unholy combination of the two events?

Morgan and Inigo were so wrapped up in these postulations that they lost track of where they came from, and only when they noticed two figures fast approaching did they realize they were lost in the foggy woods.

Severa and Lucina emerged from the mist with fear in their eyes. They scrambled past Inigo and Morgan before diving into a nearby bush.

"Get in here before it sees you!" Severa whispered in between panicked breaths. Morgan quickly climbed into the bush with them while Inigo followed. They waited, smushed together as their stomachs rubbed against the dirt and their heartbeats climbed.

Footsteps clashed against the rhythm of their panicked breathing. The monster grew closer and closer, increasing the heartbeats of every group member at an alarming rate. A purple leg was visible from where they hid, and another appeared as the thing shambled around. It seemed to disappear before the bush began to rumble.

Tearing the bush from the ground, the creature discovered the hiding spot of the children and shrieked again, paralyzing them in fear. They screamed as the red-eyed monster threw the uprooted plant away then reared back to strike with its claws.

Morgan covered her eyes and began to hyperventilate; she didn't want to die here. Her breathing rate climbed and climbed as her eyes remained closed and she held her sister for dear life.

The beast should have attacked by now. What was going on? Morgan slowly opened her eyes to reveal something she did not expect.

A goo-covered spear protruded from the chest of the beast. Its red eyes dimmed and it was pulled backward, tumbling to the ground and defeated. Behind the beast was Morgan's mother, holding her spear up and catching her breath.

Cordelia quickly realized what was happening to Morgan and tossed her spear away, making sure it hit none of the children. She held Morgan in her embrace and tried to calm her like she did with Robin all those years ago.

"It's okay. You're safe. I'm here." She repeated those words. "It's okay. You're safe. I'm here." As she held Morgan, she turned to the rest of the children; their wide eyes and shocked expressions were as clear as the beast's blood on the ground.

Morgan's breathing calmed down the instant Severa ran into her mother's embrace and sobbed into her chest.

"I thought we were gonna die…" She spoke in between sobs. Cordelia responded by silently hugging her daughter and patting her on the back.


	23. C Act II: Road Taken Part VII

Cordelia's Tale: Act II

Road Taken

Part VII

Author's note: I recommend listening to _South Island_ from the _Sonic the Hedgehog OVA_ when you see one * mark.

* * *

An orange glow emanated from the setting sun over the horizon, bathing the hills outside Severa's house in said glow. Her mother, who wore a white breastplate and a red dress instead of her cloak, stood against the sun from where Severa stood as she squinted her eyes.

"Choose a weapon." Cordelia smiled as she pointed to a weapon rack. Behind Severa was the forest that she had gotten lost in yesterday. As punishment for going against her word, Cordelia decided that it was time Severa learned how to defend herself.

Severa inspected the wooden weapons in front of her: an axe, a sword, and a spear. She looked at her mother's hands, which were clasped around her own wooden spear.

"Swords beat spears, right?" Severa asked.

"Other way around. I'd recommend getting a feel for the axe first, as it bests my spea-" Cordelia answered, but quieted herself when she noticed where Severa was looking. Severa picked up a sword and inspected the wooden blade.

"I wanna use this." With a twirl of her blade, Severa turned to face her mother with a playful look in her eyes. A look of one who knew this was a game. "I'd rather lose when I'm at a disadvantage than win when it isn't a fair fight."

"But if you take the spear, we'll be equally matched."

"Just let me do this, okay?" Severa protested and Cordelia sighed.

"Very well. Either we do two rounds of training or you strike me in the chest. Whichever one comes first denotes that we can go inside for the day." She drew her lance and bent her knees. Cordelia then watched as Severa got into a posture that resembled the mercenaries of Regna Ferox.

*"I saw Inigo do this once." Severa smiled as she charged her mother and yelled. She lunged her blade towards her mother's chest but found it stopped. Her mother had positioned the shaft of her spear between Severa's weapon and her chest, blocking the blow and confusing Severa. "What the-"

Cordelia brought the butt of her spear into Severa's chest, but slowed her strike so that Severa felt as though she was poked by a finger.

"I win. Back up and let's try again." Cordelia spoke in the kindest tone she could muster to ease Severa's disappointment. She then slowly advanced and brought her spear down towards Severa in a strike that was so painfully slow it was almost comical.

Severa blocked the blow and replied with a slash. The power behind each swing was full of rage and untapped strength that Cordelia would need to iron out.

* * *

Severa lunged her blade towards her mother's chest and found her attack blocked by the shaft of her mother's spear. She quickly pulled her mock sword back and swiped at her weapon, throwing her off balance and opening her to a strike from Severa.

She lunged again but her blow was shifted by Cordelia using the weight of her spear to deflect the blow. Cordelia swiped at her daughter's chest and her attack was blocked. Severa then began to attack in a downward swing to Cordelia's spear that was held above her head, then repeated said swing. Over, and over she brought her sword down onto her mother's weapon. She could see the exhaustion in her eyes; she was wearing her down. Her swings began to slow. Finally, after four long years of training, Severa was going to beat-

The look of exhaustion on Cordelia's face shifted to a look of normalcy as she parried Severa's latest blow and quickly tapped her in the chest.

"Never use your opponent's face as an indicator of your progress," Cordelia spoke without pausing for a breath, as Severa bent over to curb her exhaustion. With a scream aimed at the sky, Severa threw her sword on the ground and began to pace around.

"I was so _damn_ close!" Severa groaned as she panted for breath.

"Watch your language." Cordelia never appreciated curse words uttered in her house and made sure to catch every instance of them being uttered. "You'll beat me when the time has come, and you've improved greatly since we started. If you want to speed that up, you could use an axe or a spear."

"You don't get it!" Severa tightened her posture and her eyes began to water. "I don't want to use a lance like you! I… I don't know how to word this without hurting your feelings…"

"You don't want to end up like me. I understand." Cordelia kept a straight face as Severa's continued to devolve.

"Morgan may be fine learning magic with Laurent so she can be more like dad, but I want to be my own person! I want to be… A mercenary! I want to do jobs for people and hunt down bad guys! Without wearing a dumb miniskirt!" Severa pointed to her mother's uniform. "No offense. It looks really good on you and Aunt Sumia, it's just not for me." Cordelia laughed and tried to stifle it. "Stop laughing at me!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Cordelia found it hilarious how Severa was trying her best to hate her but couldn't find the energy. "Do you…" She took a deep breath and composed herself. "Come here." She held her arms open and walked towards Severa. Begrudgingly, Severa embraced her mother and buried her head in her chest. "You're getting close to beating me. Just trust my word on this."

"...Okay." Severa mumbled back. "Can you just let me win?"

"Because then you wouldn't have earned it., Cordelia responded with a smile. "How about we go get makeup for your dance tonight?"

* * *

Inside the appeal shop was various objects that a young lady might purchase, such as pink berets, sunglasses, perfume bottles, and assorted jewelry. Severa examined the aisles, looking for a scent of perfume that she liked. Although with such scents as 'Wyrm's Tongue' or 'Exalt's Tears,' Severa wondered how this shop was still in business. She continued to walk along with her gaze perpendicular to the aisle until she bumped into someone.

Severa quickly turned and noticed that she had bumped into a familiar, red-haired boy from school.

"Gerome?" Severa asked as she noticed the panicked look on his face. "What are you doing here?" She watched in bewilderment as Gerome covered his face with his hands.

"Please don't look at me!" Gerome tried to run away, but due to his blindness he ran into an aisle and knocked a pair of sunglasses to the floor. "Ow…"

"You uh…" Severa paused and tried to ponder her phrasing as she set the sunglasses back on their stand. "Are you okay?"

"It's so unbecoming of me to be shopping here…" Gerome slowly removed his hands from his face to reveal his dejected stare.

"No, no. I don't judge. What, are you shopping for your girlfriend or something?" Severa asked. Gerome shook his head and slowly raised his hand to point at something. Severa followed his gaze to see her mother standing at a desk and talking to Gerome's mother.

"Ohhhhhhh…" Severa realized what was going on and walked towards her mother. "Follow me."

"Please don't…" Gerome's cheeks matched the color of his hair as he reluctantly followed Severa.

"I was thinking of buying this mask for Ricken." Cherche held up a black mask with white holes for where the eyes of the wearer would be. She ran her finger along the border, which dipped in the middle to make the mask look like an hourglass on its side.

"It's very nice, but why would he need a mask?" Cordelia questioned.

"He always goes on about wanting to appear older than he is, regardless of how much he's grown in the last decade." Cherche sighed as she set down a handful of gold coins on the desk for the clerk behind it. "I'd like to purchase this mask." She spoke to the clerk. He nodded back and took the coins while Cherche placed the mask on her face. "How do I look?"

"Mysterious. I like it." Cordelia smiled as Cherche posed.

"If only they had a larger version for Minervy-kins… She'd look quite dashing with it on." Cherche's tone seemed to lighten at the mere mention of her steed.

"You should buy one for your whole family then." Cordelia felt as though she was being watched, and turned to see Gerome and Severa looking at them.

"Come on. Just like we practiced." Severa whispered into Gerome's ear. He paused; it was clear that something was holding him back. He then silently composed himself and began to speak.

"Mother, now that we have what we came here for, can we please leave? We need to prepare for the dance before it's too late." His composed, stern voice impressed Cordelia, given that he was nearing fifteen years of age.

"Oh, that's right! I forgot about the dance!" Cherche pressed her hands together. "Severa, you seem like a good influence on my son. Would you like to dance with him tonight?" She was confused as to why Severa and Gerome both began to blush and avert their gazes. "What? Did I say something funny?" She then noticed that Cordelia was waving her arched hand to indicate that Cherche should stop talking.

"M-mother! We are j-just friends!" Gerome stammered and noticed the panicked look on Severa's face. "I-I-I… I was going to ask Kjelle!"

"Oh! Is that why you wanted to go to Sully's house?"

"Yes. Can we please go now?" The discomfort in his tone was as obvious as the blush on Severa's cheeks.

"Alright, my little romantic." The saccharine tone of Cherche's voice almost made Cordelia's skin crawl, but her heart was strangely warmed. "Let's go get you nice and presentable." Cherche took Gerome by the hand and almost walked out of the shop. "Oh, I almost forgot! Morgan's thirteenth birthday was last month, right?"

"Yes." Cordelia and Severa both spoke on instinct.

"I made a dress for her as a gift, but I wanted to make sure you were fine with it. Could you direct me to where your house is, so I may drop it off?"

Cordelia nodded and pointed to the nearby exit out of town. Cherche ooo'd and aaaaa'd as her eyes beamed. "We should get together again soon! I'm sure Gerome would love to spend more time with his 'friend.'" She looked at Severa with a burning stare as Gerome panicked.

"Okay time to go bye!" Gerome yelled as he tugged his mother out of the shop and out of sight. Severa and Cordelia were left to stare in silence for a few seconds.

"Well, that was… something." Cordelia tried to smile, but to Severa's eyes, she was grimacing. "Are you upset that Gerome rejected you?"

"No… It'd be weird to go with him, anyway," Severa answered. She had her eyes on asking someone else to dance, anyway. "I found some nice, cherry-scented perfume. Can we go to Olivia's house now?"

After purchasing the perfume and exiting the shop into the sunny streets of Tutidomas, a thought struck Cordelia. The streets seemed emptier than before. Either more people were staying in their houses, or more people had left the town entirely.

Sure, Donnel was at his stand, and Cordelia made sure to greet him and ask him how his day was. But outside of him and the occasional passerby, the town was empty.

* * *

The walk to Olivia's house from Tutidomas was rather short, consisting of five minutes in total. Given that it was the same distance from town as Severa's house, she found the stroll to be rather trivial.

What wasn't trivial was the sight that awaited her at the house. Outside the small, brick cabin was a figure that seemed to be splitting logs of wood with an axe. Upon approaching the house, they were close enough to see that the figure was Inigo. Bare-chested and gripping a woodcutter's axe in his hands.

His well-developed muscles and pecs shone in the air like a lighthouse calling out to lost sailors. Severa approached Inigo as her legs began to wobble. Ever since that day at the forest, Inigo had mellowed out from his bully-ish youth and matured. It turned out that Lucina was right; his muscles were not the only thing that had grown.

"H-hi, Inigo…" She slowly approached as he noticed. He stood upright; his blue locks flapped in the breeze like the mane of a majestic stallion. "How a-are you doing?"

"G-g-good." Inigo replied; his shaky voice betrayed his confidant appearance.

Cordelia watched and smiled from afar, then felt a presence beside her. She turned and noticed that Olivia was standing next to her, wearing a simple shirt and laying an axe on the ground.

"Ah… Young love. Just as awkward as I remember it." Olivia smiled. "How have you been?"

"Good. Severa's been progressing well in her training." Cordelia replied. She couldn't help but wonder if that's how her early days with Robin looked to passerby; two stumbling, hopeless romantics who tripped into each other's arms.

"Lucina and Inigo have been doing wonderfully. They've already beaten me multiple times in our little sparring matches." She paused and looked to her son, whose cheeks were flush. "Speaking of love… I know this is a little late to ask, but have you ever considered remarrying?"

"...The thought never crossed my mind. I know Robin would remain single if our roles were swapped." Cordelia replied.

"I couldn't stomach doing that… Chrom would be forced to watch me fall for another man…" Olivia looked at the sky. "But enough moping around. I think Inigo might be asking Severa out."

Cordelia initially found it weird that Severa wanted to dance with her cousin, but quickly remembered that Severa and Inigo were not biologically related. If anything, the term 'cousin' was an indicator of how close the two families were.

"Hey, Inigo." Severa took a deep breath and composed herself. "Do you want to go to the Graduation Dance?"

"I'd love to." He replied with a smile.

Cordelia and Olivia said nothing and made no awkward gestures. They were simply proud of their young adults.


	24. C Act II: Road Taken Part VIII

Cordelia's Tale: Act II

Road Taken

Part VIII

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Gentle Rain_ from _Mother 3_ when you see one * mark.

* * *

"I don't have anything to wear!" Severa's voice echoed from her room as Cordelia waited in the living room. The night sky began to creep along the horizon outside. The dance would be starting in an hour, and Severa would need to be out the door before half-an-hour had passed. "Mom! Help!" Severa yelled again, prompting Cordelia to come to her daughters' room.

Inside was Severa, standing at her closet and throwing aside various shirts and pants that were not adequate for a formal dance. Cordelia's attention, however, was focused on Morgan, who sat on her bed and wore a small, white dress with blue ribbons.

"Gerome's mom showed up while you were gone. She handed me this dress and we talked about my birthday for a bit." Morgan spoke then began to adjust her gloves. "It's a little too big though." It dawned on Cordelia that Cherche had used her wedding dress as a frame of reference for this new dress.

Cordelia noticed that the front covering of the dress was reaching Morgan's chin and her gown was reaching the floor. It seems that Cherche had overestimated Morgan's age.

"You're right." Cordelia nodded as she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her cloak. Her gaze turned to Severa, who looked so distraught that Cordelia swore she saw her own distressed look from her younger years on her daughter's face.

"I don't have anything nice to wear, and now I can't go! I finally ask Inigo out and-" Severa grabbed a pillow from her bed and screamed into it.

"You know…" Morgan interjected. "I don't really need this dress. It doesn't even fit me." Severa looked up from her pillow. "You can wear it if you want."

Cordelia helped her daughter out of the dress while Severa looked on with an enthusiastic stare. After handing Severa the dress and directing her to the bathroom to change, Cordelia noticed that Morgan was shivering. Given that it was chilly outside and she was wearing just an undershirt, it was a wonder she wasn't cold until now.

"That was very kind of you. Here, take my cloak." Cordelia pulled off her cloak and gave it to Morgan. She promptly fit the oversized cloak over her body and looked as though she was wearing a blanket.

"You sure? This was dad's, and I know you like to keep his stuff around." Morgan raised her eyebrow but welcomed the gift.

"You need it more than me." Now that she wore his cloak, Cordelia noticed that Morgan resembled her father quite a bit, barring her red hair.

Severa emerged from the bathroom with the white dress fastened to her waist. The dress fit her like a glove. If Morgan looked like her father, then Severa looked like a smaller Cordelia as she wore the dress.

"How do I look?" Severa asked as her cheeks began to blush.

"You look beautiful." Cordelia smiled back as she held Severa's hand. "Inigo's a lucky boy."

As if on cue, a knocking sound echoed from the front door. Cordelia walked into the living room and opened the door, revealing a young man wearing a tuxedo standing in the doorway.

"H-hi, Cordelia. Is S-severa here?" Inigo asked. Cordelia stepped aside, revealing Severa behind her. Inigo's eyes widened at the sight of her dress. "W-wow…" His voice cracked. "You look b-beautiful…" He held his hand out and Severa placed her hand upon his. Cordelia watched as Inigo slowly placed a kiss on Severa's hand.

If Cordelia was a cynic, she would laugh to herself that she was unable to be with Chrom, yet her daughter could be with his son. Instead, she felt a twinge of nostalgia ping her soul. If only her first date with Robin didn't involve getting caught in an avalanche, and was formal like this.

"Hi again, Cordelia." Olivia walked past Inigo and entered the house. "I'll be chaperoning these three." Cordelia figured that Lucina must be tagging along. "Is Morgan coming?"

"I think I'll just stay here…" Morgan spoke as she entered the living room and curled up on the couch. She retreated into her cloak like a hermit crab in a shell.

"Really? Lucina's going to be pretty bored if she doesn't have a friend with her…" Olivia walked up to Morgan and stood before her. A groan emanated from her cloak.

"Fine." Morgan's head poked out of her cloak and she got to her feet.

"I'll be sure to have them back as soon as possible." Olivia waved to Cordelia as she followed Morgan out the door and closed it behind her.

"Make sure you have fun!" Cordelia smiled and waved to her daughters as they departed.

* * *

The multi-purpose room of the school had been transformed into a dancing hall since yesterday, the last day of school for Severa and her friends. Lamps had been placed on the walls, creating a low level of light that seemed tailor-made to reflect off Severa's dress and make a glow that caught the eye of her friends. The chairs had been pushed to the side, making a wide space for the pubescents to dance.

Gerome, when he wasn't busy trying to impress Kjelle with his black tuxedo, was the first there to say how lovely she looked. Soon enough the rapid compliments became too much for Severa, and she retreated to the women's room with Lucina to gather her confidence, leaving Inigo by himself in the hall.

"You got Severa to ask you out?" Brady asked as he adjusted the red rose that his mother had clipped to his suit.

"Yeah, I can hardly believe it." Inigo took a sip of his drink after speaking. "She's perfect… Her smile, her hair, her personality." His eyes shined with the tell-tale shine of young, foolish love.

"Woah, slow down, pal. If I didn't know any better I'd say you're close to marrying her." Brady held his hands up. "You wanna take this slow. Get to know her, impress her parents," He noticed that Inigo's shoulders seemed to tense up and he focused on something behind Brady. "There's someone behind me, isn't there?"

"You hear that, boys?" A nasal, annoying voice that Brady had learned to loathe through six years sounded behind him. He turned around to see a quill-necked boy covered in pimples and wearing a green bandana.

"Good to see you too, Attab." Brady glared back and shoved his hands into his pockets. He noticed that Attab's second in command, Bheg, was right by him. Their two cohorts, however, were nowhere to be found. "Why don't you make like a Plegian Royal and warp outta here before this gets ugly."

"Boss, don't bother wit' him. We're 'ere for Inigo and whatnot, anyways." Bheg's insufferably low voice made Inigo's skin crawl. He had cut ties with these clowns three years ago, yet now they show their faces at the school they attended. "So, we hear that the little flirt got Severa to go out wit' 'im."

"We just had to help out our old friend, so we brought our own makeup for her." Attab pointed behind him, revealing his two cohorts carrying a bucket of… something. Inigo couldn't tell what it was from the dim light. "We heard mud's really in season right now."

"You will not…" Inigo gritted his teeth as he spoke.

"Or what?" Batta stuck his finger in Inigo's face. "Try anything, and I'll get my father to hound your mother."

"Why should I fear your father?" Inigo's fists clenched.

"You haven't heard about Slayde Fitzgerald? Roughest, meanest man in the Ylissean Military. Could probably snap your mother's pretty little neck in two with a single strike." Attab replied; his punchable smirk made Inigo's blood boil.

Given that Inigo had never seen his mother engage in combat with Risen, the masked undead from the forest, he had no reason to believe that she could soundly defeat Slayde.

"You… You…" Attab relished in Inigo's obvious distress.

"Go on, hit me. The adults will throw you out and we'll just continue on our own time." Attab pointed to the chaperones stationed around the large room. "Either we ruin Severa's dress, or we ruin your mother's life."

Inigo watched in silent rage as Attab and Bheg walked away, smiling at him the whole time. Brady had disappeared during the argument, leaving Inigo to silently contemplate what the hell he should do.

Who mattered more, his mother or his love? Olivia had brought him into this world, but Severa _was_ his world. Should he-

"Hey, I'm back." Severa smiled as she stood before Inigo. "You okay? You seem freaked out." In his absence, he had failed to notice her approach.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." He knew they couldn't flee to his house; he had told Attab and his cronies his address six years ago. "W-we should dance now."

"Alright." Severa was perplexed as to why Inigo seemed so tense. She took his arms and began to step around the floor in a waltz. Inigo looked around in a frenzied manner to see his friends enjoying themselves. Lucina and Morgan watched from the sidelines and were unable to see two boys approaching Severa from behind with a bucket.

Inigo watched in terror as the boys approached. He couldn't jeopardize his mother's life, but he couldn't ruin Severa's night.

"Listen… This is very important." Inigo spoke as he tightened his grip on Severa's hands. Their waltz had slowed to them just holding each other. The boys were fifteen seconds away from Severa. "I need you to…" His mouth locked up. If he informed her, she would duck and dodge the mud, putting his mother in the sights of the goons.

"To what?" Severa asked. Inigo's hands froze as he saw the boys raise the bucket above her head.

"I'm… I'm sorry…" He shut his eyes. He couldn't bear to look.

A loud, splashing noise assaulted Inigo's eardrums as he kept his eyes shut. A scream, which was definitely Severa's, followed, forcing Inigo's eyes open. The whites of Severa's dress had been tainted brown, and her hair was covered in mud.

"You… You…" She clenched her fists and shivered as she heard the boys laugh at her.

"Look at her! Covered in mud like the pig she is!" Attab laughed as Bheg stood at his side.

"I'll…" She glared at Inigo with the rage of a burning sun. Inigo's gut sank lower than the depths of hell. Attab placed a hand on her shoulder. The last mistake he would make tonight.

"Look at her! She thinks she can stand up to Attab the-" Attab gloated as Inigo backed up against the wall.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Severa screamed with the voice of a banshee as she grabbed Attab by the neck and threw him on the ground. She slammed her fist into his face, relishing the feeling of his nose crumpling underneath her blow. She punched again; he gasped for breath as Bheg backed up. Severa screamed as she stood up and smashed her foot onto his groin, jerking his body up and leaving him on the floor in a writhing mess.

The music stopped as adults began to form a ring around her and the other boys. Her glare of murder focused on the two boys as she lunged, grabbed the bucket from their hands, and swung it into the sides of their heads. They were knocked to the floor, leaving two wriggling worms left.

"P-please don't hurt me…" Bheg curled on the floor in a fetal position as Severa leaned over him with the bloodied bucket in hand.

Severa responded with a scream as she kicked Bheg's worthless head, causing a whimper to escape his lips before he passed out. Inigo watched in horror as Severa turned to face him; the dim lighting and the mud combined to make her resemble a monster. She approached and loomed over him as he pressed his back against the wall.

"I… I'm sorr-"

"YOU KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN!" Severa responded as she drew her hand back. Inigo braced himself and shut his eyes.

Severa slapped Inigo across the cheek with the back of her hand, sending him whimpering to the floor and leaving a red mark on the left side of his face. She shoved the ring of adults away; she knew they were afraid of her.

Her rage began to subside as she dragged her feet out of the school. She covered her face and began to sob as she ran through the dark streets of Tutidomas, past the judgemental eyes of the civilians.

* * *

As Cordelia watched the sun complete its voyage across the sky from her couch, she couldn't help but feel a sinking sensation in her gut. She didn't know why, but she felt as though Severa was in distress. She had felt this same feeling back in the forest, only now she didn't believe there was any danger.

Rain pounded the roof of her house as she paced back and forth in the living room. Something had gone wrong; she could feel it.

*The front door swung open, revealing the dark, rainy mood outside, and a sopping wet Severa wearing a ruined dress.

"Oh, gods! What happened?" Cordelia panicked as Severa rushed into her arms and tried her best to remain steadfast. Severa's cold hands and body made her almost squirm.

"Inigo set me up! His friends dumped a bucket of mud on me, and they all laughed at me!" Severa buried her face into her mother's chest. "I'm never going to show my face in town again."

"Honey…" Cordelia's gut sank as she learned of what transpired. If only she had been there for her daughter in her time of vulnerability.

"Everyone would just laugh at me!" She yelled. Cordelia tightened her embrace.

"I can guarantee that nobody saw you in the dark. And if they did, they'd know that everyone has their rough nights." Cordelia noticed that Morgan and Lucina had entered and shut the door behind them. "I'll get a bath started. You can wash yourself off and then we'll talk to Olivia about this." She guided her shambling daughter to the bathroom and closed the door as she entered. She turned to face Lucina and Morgan as they waited outside with panicked looks.

"We're sorry! We didn't know that was going to happen and it's all our fault and-" They both yelled at the same time. Cordelia shushed them with her finger raised to her mouth.

"You didn't do anything wrong. Lucina, can you wait here and help Severa when she gets out?" Cordelia smiled and looked at Lucina.

"Right away." Lucina seemed the most frazzled by these events; given that she was Severa's closest friend, it made sense. "I feel so weak… I should've stopped those fiends."

"How could you have known?" Cordelia asked the question that Lucina couldn't answer. She then walked into the living room to see that two more people had entered. One of which had a red handprint on the left side of his face.

"M-may I s-speak to Severa please?" Inigo asked as he gripped his mother's hand for support. The look of anguish in his eyes made Cordelia reconsider Severa's account of the events.

Olivia explained her side of the events; how the goons had delivered an ultimatum at Inigo's feet. Either embarrass Severa or risk his mother's life. Olivia added the point that she knew she could easily best Slayde, the leader's father, but Inigo was not aware of this fact.

Cordelia wanted to hate Inigo. She tried with every fiber of her being to loathe the boy who had ruined her daughter's special night, but she couldn't find the energy. She did not see a petulant bully who enjoyed what he did; she saw a boy given a very sour situation and forced to choose family over friends.

"I'll talk to Slayde about this tomorrow. And I'm sure that his imp of a boy has been scared into never harming Severa again." Olivia stated as she sat on the couch. Inigo stood as he rubbed his face.

Footsteps echoed from the hallway. Inigo's eyes widened as Severa emerged into the living room with a towel wrapped around her body.

"I'm so sorry." Inigo slowly walked towards her. Severa's look was average; Cordelia always knew she could keep a straight face despite her feelings.

"Lucina told me everything," Severa replied in a cold tone. Inigo paused. "And you know what?"

Severa's face shifted to a glare. "I still hate you. I don't care about your intentions; you still carried out the deed."

"Severa…" Inigo tried to interject.

"Did I stutter?" She snarled, making him take a step back and forcing Cordelia to advance. "I've never met such a sniveling, pathetic coward in all my life! You thought you were protecting your mother when really you were protecting yourself!" Her blood was boiling and her face was red. "I hope no woman alive has to torture themselves by knowing you!"

"Severa!" Cordelia stomped in front of her daughter. This had gone on for long enough. "You cannot say that to people, regardless of how you-"

"SHUT UP! FOR ONCE IN YOUR DAMN LIFE, SHUT UP!" Severa screamed at her mother as Inigo, Morgan, Lucina and even Olivia shirked away. Cordelia remained steadfast, despite her thoughts telling her to ground Severa.

"Go to your room." Cordelia pointed to the nearby hallway. Severa paused. She stood there defiantly, eying up her mother and trying to exert her power. " _Now_."

With a huff of breath, Severa turned around and began to walk to her room. She paused before the door and croaked her words out.

"I can see why dad chose Grima over you." She quickly scurried into her room and shut the door behind her. Inigo buried his face in his hands and began to sob.

Cordelia's fists clenched as she sat down on the couch and bowed her head. Olivia patted her on the back and whispered into her ear.

"She doesn't mean that. I'm sure of it."

* * *

Sleep was not something that came to Cordelia last night. Thoughts of anger surely came, along with musings about Robin. But her bloodshot eyes were a testament to her insomnia as she slumped on the couch in the living room. Morning light began to shine through a nearby window as a figure emerged from the hallway.

Without saying a word, Severa entered the room, grabbed an apple off the counter, and retreated back to her room. Cordelia watched with mild curiosity as Severa glared back at her before walking into the hallway.

Morgan stood in front of their room, blocking the door with her arms.

"Move." Severa spoke in a blunt tone as she took a bite out of the apple.

"Not until you make up with mom." Morgan remained steadfast in a defiant show of power.

"This is why-" Severa cut herself off before she could finish her insult. She badly wanted to say 'this is why nobody danced with you last night.' But she could not find the strength to burn more of her bridges. She stood there in silence for a minute, staring into Morgan's eyes before she threw in the towel. "...Fine."

Cordelia watched as Severa emerged from the hallway, again, with a half-eaten apple in her hands. Severa seated herself at the table with her back facing Cordelia.

"I'd ask you 'do you know what it feels like to lose someone' but the truth is you do." Cordelia spoke in a tired voice. "You've had your share of sleepless nights, and hours upon hours of waiting for that special someone to walk through the door and make everything right."

Severa's shoulders tensed. "Which is why those little reality checks we get, the ones that remind us those people aren't coming back… We can't tell if they're a blessing or a curse. Your comment last night, about Robin choosing Grima over me. In the back of my mind, I guess I had always feared that was a possibility. But there's a little voice in the back of my head that tells me: my family loves me."

A sniffle escaped Severa's nose. "I love you, your father loves you, and Morgan loves you as well. But, do you love me?"

Pushing the chair back, Severa slowly got to her feet and trudged over to Cordelia. She wrapped her arms around her mother in an embrace.

"I'm sorry." Severa mumbled into her chest. "I shouldn't have said those things to you and Inigo. I didn't mean them."

"I know." Cordelia smiled as she hugged her daughter back. "You're still grounded for a week though."

Severa mumbled a curse word.


	25. C Act II: Road Taken Part IX

Cordelia's Tale: Act II

Road Taken

Part IX

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Going Alone_ from _Mother 3_ when you see one * mark.

* * *

*If Cordelia thought the streets of Tutidomas were barren before, by now they were a wasteland. Not even a single passerby greeted her as she walked down the foggy streets; abandoned buildings and shops lined the roads. More and more people were lost to the Risen attacks. They had grown so frequent that Cordelia brought her spear with her everywhere she went.

The clang of steel weapons clashing against each other broke the silence; Lon'qu must be training Owain. Cordelia felt as though it had been ages since she had seen any of the Shepherds, disregarding Olivia. Finally, she could discuss the dwindling population of the town with people she kne-

As Cordelia rushed to the training yard, she noticed two figures practicing. Owain was one of them, yes, but the other was not Lon'qu. This man had an axe and a dragon by his side. It had been about three months since these two had graduated the now-abandoned academy.

"Gerome?" Cordelia asked. Both stopped and Owain turned his head. "Are your parents nearby? I know Cherche is never far off from Minerva."

Gerome turned his head, revealing that Ricken's mask was adorned on his face. He had a solemn stare that was visible even through the mask.

"They… They didn't make it…" His imposing tone cracked along with his voice. Cordelia swore that she heard him sniffle.

"Owain, what about-" Before Cordelia could finish, Owain stopped and approached her. He fumbled with his coat pocket and pulled out a bloody arrow. With nary a word, Owain handed the projectile to Cordelia, who inspected the shaft to see a message scrawled on it.

'In memory of Lissa and Lon'qu.'

"I'm… I'm sorry for your losses." Cordelia handed the arrow back to Owain and began to walk away.

"C-cordelia, could we ask you a request?" Owain's bravado was noticeably absent from his voice and vocabulary. "This town is a graveyard. Get out of here as soon as possible. Gerome, Cynthia and I are starting a town with the other children." He pulled out a map and pointed to a red X. The name 'New Ylisstol' was scrawled next to the mark. "Please bring your family along, so we can all work together to survive."

"I'll tell Severa and Morgan." Cordelia nodded and waved as she walked away. She had barely any time to consider their request before a thought reached her mind.

Was Donnel still alive? She couldn't survive without her food supplier, and there was nobody else in town to give her food. She rushed to the farmer's market with an increasing heartbeat.

As she stepped into the market, she scanned around for Donnel's stand. All the others were closed, and a long line of what must have been fifty people were lined up at one stand. Cordelia walked along the line and past the stares of people believing she was skipping it.

These people were in line for Donnel's stand, but Donnel was not at the stand. Instead, a different man stood in his place.

"We only have a years worth of food, folks! So get in line!" Slayde yelled as he handed out bags of food to hungry civilians.

"What happened to Donnel?" Cordelia asked; the fact that this man tried to slander Robin's name was the least of her concerns.

"Risen attacked his farm. His boy was the only survivor." Slayde replied. "We scavenged all the food we could. If you need any, lass, you'll have to get in line."

Cordelia looked at the large wagon of food bags behind Slayde, then to the long line of peasants. By the time she reached the stand, there would be no food left for her family.

With a heavy sigh, Cordelia drew her lance.

"I need that food." She spoke in a cold tone.

"Have you lost your mind?" Slayde's eyes widened as he focused on the sharp end of her lance. "These people will starve without this food!" The people in the line began to nervously walk away.

"I said give me the food!" Her grip tightened in tandem with her resolve. Slayde raised his hands, only for him to quickly press his fingers to his mouth and whistle a sharp note.

"We got a thief! Stop her!" Slayde yelled as guards entered the farmer's market with their swords drawn. Screams filled the farmer's market as most of the civilians fled, with a few drawing steel to protect their right to a meal. The town guards encircled Cordelia, who gritted her teeth.

"Naga forgive me for what I must do…" She muttered before lunging at one of the guards with a yell.

* * *

Morgan returned from her lessons in magic with Laurent to discover the remains of a large wagon sitting outside her house. She had never seen this wagon before and wondered if her mother had to transport something from the town.

"Mom!" Morgan spoke as she entered her house. "Are you in here?"

"Hi, Morgan," Cordelia spoke as she stood at the kitchen sink, furiously scrubbing something that Morgan could not see. Behind her were stacks and stacks of crates labeled 'food.'

"Has Severa come home yet?" Morgan asked. Before she left for practice, Severa said she was going to go to Lucina's house.

"No. She'll be back soon, I guess. Could you cast some freezing magic on this food before it goes rotten?" Cordelia asked.

"Yeah, sure thing," Morgan spoke as she pulled a blue tome out of her pocket. Before Miriel passed away, she had taught her and Laurent the secrets of ice magic and its applications in daily life. One spell was enough to preserve food for a month. "Fimbulvetr!" Morgan raised her hand and read the spell from the tome, then watched as large snowflakes materialized on the crates. They were now freezing to the touch.

Out of the corner of her eye, Morgan noticed that the water in the kitchen sink was tinted red. "Are you cleaning wine out of the glasses or something?" Morgan asked as she approached. Cordelia's shoulders tensed, and she did not know why.

Upon looking past her mother, Morgan discovered that Cordelia was washing blood off her gauntlets. "Oh, gods! What happened? Are you hurt?" Morgan panicked as Cordelia sighed and turned around. Her breastplate was stained with crimson that matched her dress. "Is this why the wagon is-"

"No, I'm fine…" She had a forlorn look in her eyes. She needed to explain what happened. It dawned on Morgan that Donnel never gave Cordelia this much food in one trip. "Let me explain…"

"How did you get all this food?" Morgan asked as she took a step back.

"Donnel's farm was attacked, and they were giving out the remaining food in town to everyone. I needed it more than they did." Cordelia's tone was unsettlingly flat, considering the implications of her actions.

"So you killed them? For food?" Morgan's voice rose.

"The guards and some civilians who fought back, yes," Cordelia replied.

"Oh, gods…" Morgan leaned up against the wall and clutched her forehead. "How many of those people had families? They're going to starve now!"

"I don't want to think about that." Cordelia resumed washing the blood off her armor. "I choose to think about how we won't starve for the next two years."

"You're a monster." Morgan glared at her mother.

"And you don't see the bigger picture." Cordelia turned her head to look at Morgan.

"You're rationalizing murder!" Morgan cried out.

"Morgan! Enough!" Cordelia yelled back. "It's kill or be killed out there, and I don't want you or Severa to be killed."

A knock resounded on the front door. Morgan grumbled as she opened it, revealing a distraught Severa standing in the doorway.

On her arm was the Fire Emblem. The royal treasure of Ylisse.

"Severa, what's wrong?" Morgan asked as Severa rushed inside. The door was shut behind her.

"Lucina's house is… gone…" She replied in a worried tone as she paced back and forth. "It was nothing but smoldering rubble… I searched through it for hours, but I could only find dead Risen…"

"Oh, gods…" Cordelia hurriedly wiped the blood off her chest plate and walked to Severa's side. "You think they were-"

"It has to be a Risen attack. I just didn't think it could happen to them…" Severa inspected the shield on her arm. "This was the only thing of value I could find."

"I'm sure they slipped out and are hiding as we speak. Olivia's a fighter; there's no way she or her children would die in an ambush." Cordelia reassured her daughters. "From now on, we're staying near this house at all times. The Risen are growing bolder by the minute, and to split up is to paint a target on your back. Owain and the other children are making a town nearby, and when the time is right, we'll leave for there."

"O-okay," Severa replied as she bowed her head. She hoped with all her might that Lucina was okay. Morgan nodded; she knew the Risen weren't the only reason Cordelia couldn't show her face in town.

It also dawned on her who had smashed the wagon. If it was intact, they could transport the food. Now, the food may as well be an anchor binding them to the house.

* * *

Three days had passed since Olivia's family went missing. Severa and Morgan began to lose hope, but Cordelia knew they were hardy. Surely, they were alright.

As the night sky shone outside, Cordelia sat on her couch and repeated that message to herself ad nauseam. Everything was going to be fine, Olivia was going to move in again, and they could leave for New Ylisstol.

A knock startled her back to reality. Who could be up at this hour? Her daughters weren't.

Cordelia opened the door to reveal Lucina and Inigo, both sogging wet in the rain and wearing clothes stained with blood. They looked pale in the face, as though they had seen a ghost.

"Oh, gods… What happened?" Cordelia asked as Lucina rushed into her arms.

"...He took her…" She mumbled. Inigo shambled inside the warm house and stood up with a soulless stare.

"Who took who?" Cordelia tried to make sense of Lucina's words.

"Grima took Olivia," Inigo spoke on his sister's behalf. "They came in the morning fog. Risen. We barely had time to grab our weapons, but they overwhelmed us. They grabbed mother and ran off. We assembled a squad and marched on the Ylissean Castle to rescue her, but when we got there..."

Lucina remembered Grima's words about stomping out the embers of her family. She remembered his rows upon rows of fangs that were sharp enough to cut swords in two. Most of all, she remembered his echoing laugh that hounded them while Inigo and her fled with their lives.

"Grima killed the troops and toyed with us. I saw him. He used Robin's body as though it was a puppet." Lucina spoke now. Cordelia tightened her embrace.

"Mother's somewhere in the castle. Trapped. She has to be; it's the only explanation." Inigo paced back and forth in the living room. Cordelia sighed. No fifteen-year-old should have to go through this.

"I'm sorry. You two can stay in the guest room as long as you want," Cordelia spoke. "We recovered the Fire Emblem from your house. Trust me when I say this, but I know your mother's alive. I can feel it."

Tears began to run down Inigo's face as he joined in the group hug with Cordelia and Lucina.


	26. C Act II: Road Taken Part X

Cordelia's Tale: Act II

Road Taken

Part X

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Confusion_ from _Mother 3_ when you see one * mark.

* * *

Early morning patrols were rather routine for Cordelia. Every morning she would wake up at the crack of dawn, mount her pegasus, and patrol the skies for any threats. Lucina and Inigo had moved into the guest bedroom ever since their house was razed five months ago, giving her a greater incentive to protect her land.

On the morning of Severa's sixteenth birthday, she saw two pegasus knights fly to her stables and dismount. She recognized the brown hair of one, and the other had orange pigtails.

"Hello, Sumi-" Cordelia landed herself and spoke to her friend, but stopped as she noticed her singed uniform. Burns and cuts lined her dress, and Cynthia looked like she had been through hell and back as well. "What happened?" Cordelia's mind began to race. "Where's Gaius?"

"Our house was…" Cynthia tried to mumble the words out as she stared at the wet ground.

"Risen attacked. I didn't think they could find us, but they came without warning. Gaius didn't make it out." Sumia spoke on her daughter's behalf. "He… distracted them so we could escape."

Cynthia began to weep, and Sumia joined in as well. They hugged each other in mourning for their loved ones. "I've lost… So many friends. Olivia, Maribelle, Lissa…"

"I'm so sorry…" Cordelia tried to comfort her aching friend with a hug. Her shoulder was stained with Sumia's tears.

"I'm just glad… that I still have you and Cynthia…" She spoke in between sobs. In her distraught eyes, Cordelia could tell she was hiding something.

"Is there anything else you need to tell me?" Cordelia asked. Sumia paused and drew back. The internal conflict in her thoughts was as obvious as the tears on her cheeks.

"N-no, that's al-" Sumia was cut off by Cynthia whispering in her ear; Cordelia thought she heard Cynthia say 'truth.' "Okay, I will." She nodded to Cynthia who took a step back. "The Risen who killed Gaius are marching towards your house."

"What?" Cordelia couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"They're traveling through the Excessus mountain ridge as we speak, I'm sure of it. And…" Sumia choked her words out. "They were chanting. Bring us Cordelia and nobody has to die."

Sumia finished her sentence as Cordelia took a step back. Why would the Risen want her? She had hidden herself and her family away for exactly ten years. Did Grima want her head?

Cordelia's thoughts turned to Gaius and Olivia. To the people of Tutidomas who she had slain, and to all the Shepherds who died because of Grima. How many were going to die by her hands?

The Risen were marching on her house, and they would raze it to the ground unless Cordelia intercepted them at the Excessus mountains and threw herself at their feet. She was so wrapped up in this issue that she didn't consider saying goodbye to Severa. Why would she, she believed she was going to trick the Risen and defeat them.

With barely a word, Cordelia mounted her steed and flew off.

"I'm going to set this right!" Cordelia called to Sumia and Cynthia as they watched her disappear into the clouds. Sumia scrambled atop her mount and pointed for Cynthia to follow.

"Mother, what are you doing?" Cynthia asked in a worried voice.

"Preventing my friend from killing herself!" Sumia spoke in a panicked tone as she flew off. Cynthia followed soon after.

* * *

The snow-tipped peaks of the Excessus mountain ridge greeted Cordelia as she neared her targets. The flight of three hours exhausted her as wind lashed at her face and the flapping of her mount's wings buffeted the cold towards her. She looked down to see a long line of soldiers carrying torches that cut through the darkness of the snowstorm.

Cordelia landed her mount in front of the soldiers and watched as they approached. There must have been more than one hundred Risen in this squad. They all wore masks with red eyes that focused on her, and the leader stepped forward. A swordmaster whose clothing flapped in the breeze.

"Good… you… came…" He spoke as though he had just learned how to converse a day ago. "Lay down… your weapon… We shall take you to…" The walking corpse stopped as he sniffed his nose.

He looked to the skies above and noticed the outlines of two pegasus knights. "We were told… you would be alone…" He raised his hand and a squadron of archers behind him readied their bows. They aimed their arrows at the two knights. "Order your lackeys… to stand down…"

The two knights descended to the ground with their hands held up in surrender. Sumia and Cynthia.

"Sumia! What are you doing here?" Cordelia had no idea Sumia was following her.

"I'm not losing you, gods-dammit!" Sumia called out.

"Bah! Humans play tricks on us… Leave…" The commander kept his squad trained on Sumia and Cynthia. "We shall wait here for you tomorrow… Come by yourself… unless you desire to see your house burned…" The commander of the Risen retreated into his mob of shambling corpses that watched as Cordelia, Sumia and Cynthia flew off.

* * *

The entire flight back to Cordelia's house consisted of Sumia and Cordelia bickering in the dead of night. Cynthia followed behind and was silent.

"You shouldn't have followed me!" Cordelia yelled as cold wind lashed at her face.

"And let you die?" Sumia yelled back as she matched Cordelia's speed.

"Yes! I need to protect my children!" Cordelia replied.

"Then let us kill the Risen! We can beat them! _Together_!" Sumia tried to reason with Cordelia. She didn't need to do this alone.

"Why do you think these Risen attacks have been growing more frequent?" Cordelia asked. "Grima's sending them after me! He wants me, for some gods-forsaken reason, and the only way I can stop them is by surrendering myself!"

"B-but-"

"Do you want Cynthia to die? What about Lucina, or Severa, or Morgan? How about you? How could I live with myself, knowing that your deaths are my fault?" Cordelia's tone mellowed out as she took a deep breath. Sumia replied with a silent, contemplating stare. She could see her house in the distance. "I need to do this. I'm sorry."

"O-okay…" Tears began to well in Sumia's eyes. "Whatever happens, I just want to tell you… Thanks for being a great friend…" She slowly flew away while Cynthia followed, leaving Cordelia by herself.

After leaving her mount at the stables, Cordelia saw a figure emerge from the house and stomp towards her with tense shoulders.

"Hello, Sever-" Cordelia spoke before Severa stuck her finger in her face and began to shout.

"Do you have any gods-damned idea how worried I was about you? You just up and disappeared without saying anything! I shouldn't have to spend my birthday worrying about what happened to you!" Severa glared into her mother's eyes. Cordelia cursed her forgetfulness.

"I'm sorry," Cordelia said after a long, thoughtful pause.

"Sorry doesn't cut it! Sorry doesn't mean anything when the next time you pull this stunt, you turn up dead and I don't have a mother! Sorry doesn't…" Severa began to stumble and trip over her words as she stared into her mother's eyes. Cordelia opened her embrace and Severa rushed into it with tears in her eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere." Cordelia's heart ached as she whispered sweet lies to her daughter.

"You… You say you aren't…" Severa sobbed between each sentence as her tears stained her mother's dress. "But you don't know that! Dad didn't know he was going to go away and look where he is now!"

A few moments of silence passed as Severa held her mother, and when she felt she was ready, she took a couple steps back as she wiped her eyes. "Do you want to go eat the birthday cake? I saved it for you…"

"Yes. I'm sorry I made you worry." Cordelia responded as she walked with Severa back inside the house.

* * *

Cordelia had gotten up early the following morning. It would be better if Severa or Morgan weren't here for when she left. She barely got any sleep; her thoughts were a mix of voices telling her not to lie to her daughters, and voices telling her that it was a necessary evil.

No matter how good of a fighter Severa and the others were, those Risen were too much for them to handle. Cordelia would have to sacrifice herself so her daughters could live. But there was the possibility that the Risen would betray her and attack her house anyway.

It was a risk Cordelia needed to take; what else could she do?

She went through the kitchen and inspected the drawers. Everything seemed to be in order for her daughters to inherit. As she closed the last drawer, she applied too much force and slammed it shut. She winced as the noise echoed throughout the quiet, dark house.

Cordelia moved to the doorway with her lance in hand and looked at her house. Was this the last time she would see the familiar rooms? The couch on the side that practically smelled like her from all these years? The table that housed so many meals?

She placed her wedding ring on the end table in case she never returned.

*Severa emerged from the hallway with a puzzled look. Cordelia froze as she matched her daughter's stare.

"Mom? What are you…" Severa wiped her tired eyes as she looked at her mother.

"Severa, please go back to bed." Cordelia took a pause as Severa stared at her. " _Not like this…_ "

"Are you… What are you doing?" Severa's hands trembled as she noticed that Cordelia's other hand was on the doorknob.

"The Pegasus Knights need me to combat a squad of Risen." Cordelia's eyes trembled along with her hands. She had to force that disgusting lie out of her own mouth as though she was hurling.

"The Pegasus Knights don't matter! They can deal with their own issues!" Severa quickly pushed herself in between the door and Cordelia. "I need you, and they don't!"

"Severa, please get out of the way," Cordelia spoke in a quiet voice, in contrast to Severa's yelling. Her thoughts were telling her to stay and hug her daughter.

"Why? Why should I get out of the way when it's the only thing keeping you from leaving me?" Tears flowed from Severa's eyes to her cheeks. Cordelia responded by holding her daughter in an embrace.

"I'm doing this for… for you…" She struggled to get her words out as Severa knees shook and wobbled like a shoddy lance. "I promise you that I'll be back."

"You can't even promise to be here for my birthday!" Severa's despair quickly turned to rage. "Just leave! Get out of here! If you care about your knight friends more than me, then go be with them!" She shoved Cordelia away and stood in the living room with her arms flailing. Cordelia slowly exited the house and stood outside while Severa screamed at her. "I never want to see you again!" Those words stung her heart.

"Severa, I'm sorry. I love you, and please tell Morgan that I love her as well." Cordelia tried to maintain her calm tone as Severa's escalated.

"Stop lying! The only person you love died ten years ago, and he's never coming back!" No sooner did those words leave Severa's lips did Cordelia's eyes begin to water. That wasn't true, Severa knew it. She was just frustrated and lashing out.

With a heavy heart, Cordelia mounted her flying steed and rode off into the snowy, darkened sky.

* * *

Cordelia returned to the Excessus mountains with a tightened grip on her lance. She descended her mount to the ground amidst the snowstorm and watched as the same group of Risen from yesterday shambled towards her.

"We trust… you are alone?" The leader stepped forward and asked.

"Yes." Cordelia dropped her lance on the ground and held up her hands. "Now what do you need from m-"

"We are sorry… but we must take this necessary precaution…" The leader mumbled as a squad of archers surrounded Cordelia. "We hope… you will forgive us…"

A storm of arrows launched out of the archers' bows and sailed into her mount. Cordelia braced her arm and screamed in anger as she tried to steer her pegasus away, but her strength had left her mount. Her pegasus now resembled a pin-cushion as she looked to Cordelia with a forlorn gaze, then fell to the ground. Cordelia would question why she was unharmed if adrenaline wasn't coursing through her veins.

Cordelia was knocked to the snow and yelped as her mount fell onto her legs, trapping her underneath her frame. Snow landed in her eyes as she panicked and looked from side-to-side frantically.

"You… You bastards!" Cordelia screamed as she tried to push her mount off her legs but to no avail. The leader of the Risen loomed over her with a solemn stare.

"We shall honor our bargain… Your house shall not be touched…" The commander spoke. "He will be here for you… shortly…"

The Risen walked away, leaving a shivering Cordelia trapped in the snow. She waited, and waited, and waited. She believed an hour had passed as her heart beated out of her chest the whole time. Her strength had all but left her now; sapped from her body by the snow.

The last thing she saw before she passed out from exhaustion was a figure advancing. He had white hair, red eyes that glowed through the snowstorm, and had a smile that Cordelia recognized from her wedding night.


	27. C Act II: Road Taken Finale

Cordelia's Tale: Act II

Road Taken

Finale

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Hall of Worship_ from _Kirby: Star Allies_ for this whole part.

* * *

"Cordelia… Time to wake up, dear…" How could that voice be calling to her? She hadn't heard it for ten years now.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She remembered this room; this was the fireplace room of the Ylissean Castle. The same chandelier hung above, the same crackling fireplace was to her left, and the same Robin-

Her eyes did a double take as she stared at her husband, who sat opposite her in his own chair.

"Ah, you're awake. Good." Grima spoke. Cordelia's eyes were fully opened and she immediately sprang upright. Cordelia scrambled to the other side of the room where one of the exits was and fumbled with the door.

She could not get it to budge as fear gripped her hands. "I'm afraid you'll find that door is locked," Grima spoke in a passive tone. "Now how about we discuss this like civil adults." He pointed to the empty chair. "Sit down. I insist."

She slowly walked back to the chair and seated herself; her eyes were focused on him like a hawk. "Are you cold?"

"Why are you doing this?" Cordelia asked as she sat down in her chair and gripped the hand rests tightly.

"I have a proposition and a use for you. But we can get to that shortly." No matter how much he spoke it still unnerved Cordelia to hear Robin's voice again.

The door behind Grima opened to reveal Validar, who carried a pitcher of hot chocolate and two cups. He also wore an apron that read 'Kiss the Cult'. Cordelia tracked his movements as he set the drink and cups down on the table next to her and exited out from the same door he entered from.

"But you said the doors were locked..." Cordelia moved to get up before the sound of a lock snapping into place resounded through the room.

"I said _that_ door was locked, not all of them. Now, however, all of them are locked." Grima smirked as Cordelia eyed her hot chocolate as though it was a death trap. "Oh, come now. It's not poisoned or anything."

Grima stood up, walked to her side, grabbed one of the cups and poured a serving of hot chocolate into it. "Here, I'll demonstrate." Grime heartily downed his drink while Cordelia's heartbeat climbed.

Grima clutched his throat and began to wail as his cup fell to the floor and shattered. "Ah! It was poisoned! Who would've thought… betrayed by my own manservant…" Grima coughed repeatedly as he fell to the ground. Cordelia sat there and wondered what the hell was going on.

As he laid on the ground, Cordelia slowly approached. He seemed to be breathing, and his-

Grima sprang back up with his grinning face right in front of Cordelia's face. "Ta-dah! Got you!" He smiled with glee as Cordelia screamed and scrambled backward.

"You're… You're insane!" Cordelia put a hand to her chest as she attempted to catch her breath.

"Correction, my dear. I'm _unhinged_. There's a difference." Grima sat back down in his seat as he smiled. "Now, moving on. Let's get to that proposition now." He grabbed a white mask from his coat pocket and held it up. "Will you put on this mask?"

"No." Cordelia folded her arms and glared at him. Why the hell would she ever trust him?

"What a shame." Grima got to his feet and walked to the space behind her chair. "Because unfortunately, I won't take no for an answer." She felt his cold, yet familiar fingers massager her shoulders. She attempted to squirm away before Grima tightened his grip. "This means two things. One, I'll have to break you, and two, worst of all, is that you will not get any hot chocolate."

Cordelia felt his hands pinch the right side of her neck, sending shocks throughout her body and making her wail. She jerked her head upright and looked to Grima, to that face that had been there for her in all those nights of distress years ago.

She felt exhaustion seize her thoughts and force her asleep. She did not know what Grima was going to do with her, or where she currently was. The only thing she could think about was the well-being on her daughters.

* * *

Just a quick heads up. Severa's Tale Act II: Puppets Don't Cry will be uploaded in three chunks, as the basic plan for it is rather large.


	28. S Act II A: In Search of Victory Part I

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section A

In Search of Victory

Part I

The Story so Far:

Tragedy strikes after Lucina retrieves the Fire Emblem: Grima has the missing Sable gemstone. After returning to New Ylisstol, the Herdsmen plan out their next action, unaware that one of their own has learned a shocking truth about the Cloaked Woman and questions where her loyalties lie: to her family or her friends?

Author's note: I recommend listening to _#0 shell_ from _Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion_ when you see one * mark, and _Rogueport_ from _Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

Two assassins crossed blades inside the snug confines of an office. One assassin was a child, holding a pair of wooden knives that couldn't cut a steak. The other was an older woman with white hair and a pair of enchanted, glowing knives formed by an earlier incantation.

An oil painting of six eyes hung above the fireplace and drew the attention of the small, fledgling assassin. This distraction would be her downfall, as her wandering gaze did not see her mother's blades approach.

Her knives were thrown out of her hand by her mother's and onto the carpeted floor as she sighed. Her mother simply looked at her with a blank stare as she bent over to retrieve her weapons. She could feel her disapoint-

"If the painting is distracting, I could hide it from you," Aversa spoke as she grabbed the painting of the six eyes off the wall, put it behind her desk, then walked back to her spot before her daughter.

"Mother, that is not needed. I need to practice my focus." Layla replied as she stared at the dark floor of the office. She didn't know why she was entranced by that painting, but something about the mix of red and purple caught her eyes and refused to let them go.

"We shall start simple." She used her finger to lift Layla's chin up and she stared back into the kind, understanding gaze of her mother. "You're still learning, after all."

"Okay…" Layla sighed as she picked up her knives and crossed her blades in preparation to strike.

"Remember to lunge, then retreat. Think of it as a dance. You go forward and back, and then forward and back, and then one foot forward." Aversa demonstrated by bringing her foot forward, then drawing it back after she swung her knife at the air.

" _Forward and back…_ " Layla mumbled to herself as she lunged with her knives drawn.

Her lunge was interrupted by a knock on the door, startling her and sending her tumbling to the floor. She felt the carpet brush against her skin and cause a rash as Aversa helped her up.

She watched as Aversa opened the door, revealing two men standing outside; one lanky and another short and pudgy. The lanky man had gray skin and a goatee of a skunk, while the plump man had massive lips and red robes.

"Greetings, Validar." Aversa shook the lanky man's hand then turned to face the pudgy man. "And a greeting to you as well, Excellus."

"We hope we are not interrupting anything." Validar noticed the girl with pink hair lying on the ground. "Is this the Layla you speak so highly about?"

Aversa nodded her head; Layla wondered why her mother would speak so highly of her. She didn't consider herself to be good at anything, unlike her brothers and sisters.

"How goes the resurrection of the Fell Dragon?" Aversa asked.

"In one week's time, Validar is going to face the Exalt and the Vessel at the Dragon's Table," Excellus spoke. Layla felt unnerved just by his presence. Avera combed her hands through her white locks of hair; Layla had noticed this was her tell of stress.

"That is all?" She kept her hands on the door.

"Not exactly. Once we conquer Ylisstol, we would like you and your troupe to relocate there. Excellus will be instated as the mayor, and your band of misfits will act as the unseen arm of the law." Validar pointed to Excellus, who grinned with an unsightly stare. Layla would rather look at the gash on her knee than his face.

"I see." Aversa pondered the idea but knew that as a servant of the Grimleal, she had little say in the matter. "I accept."

"Wonderful! I look forward to working with you towards creating a magnificent realm." Excellus licked his lips as he shooks Aversa's hand again. He then walked away, leaving the two in her office.

"Who were those two?" Layla asked. Aversa responded with a sigh as she sat in her chair.

"That'll be all for today. Get some rest while you can." She did not look forward to moving all her belongings, again. "The following days will be exhausting."

* * *

The bustling streets of Ylisstol proved a challenge to navigate as Layla dodged and weaved past all the happy, smiling civilians. She had a meeting to make and she did not intend to be late. She continued to hurdle past the ignorant and looked up to the blue sky above, and to her draconic god who rested on the ruined castle in the distance.

The castle wasn't the only imposing building in town, as the massive skyscraper known as the Grimaret seemed to reach the clouds themselves.

One man let out a sharp gasp of air as Layla walked into his back. He turned around with a glare in his face to give her a scolding, only to notice that she had slipped by and was now in the crowd ahead of him.

Sitting at a table outside a bakery labeled 'Grima's Choice Pastries' was her mark. A man with short, blond hair and a smile that -in another life- would lure her in with its embrace.

Currently, she was in the life where she knew this man was attempting to leave Ylisstol and leak information to the resistance outside.

"Creator's grace, Layla!" He greeted and his placed his clenched fist to his chest as she approached.

"Creator's grace." She saluted back, as was the customary greeting, then sat down next to her mark and placed the bag on the table. "I brought lunch."

"Why, thank you." He smiled as she opened the bag and handed him a loaf of bread.

" _On goes the mask._." She pretended back. She wondered how it felt to smile and mean it.

"You look ravishing today." He leaned back in his chair as she began to nibble on her cupcake.

" _Same tone as yesterday._ " She thought to herself. " _Lure him in._ So, have you practiced your part?" Their next showing was coming up; it was a shame he would never see it.

"Yes, although the routine for the dance number at the end still eludes me. I was hoping we could retire to my room and er…" His face flushed as he avoided eye contact. "Study it… _thoroughly_."

A coy smile crept across Layla's face; she was close.

"I would love to." She placed her hand on his and stared into his eyes.

The interior of her mark's bathroom looked as though a Feral risen had organized it; shampoo bottles laid on their sides along the sink along with toothbrushes, bars of soap, and a sealed document containing Grimleal patrols and other information the resistance would love to know.

"Uh, dear…" His voice echoed from his room outside. "How long will you be?"

"Just freshening up, love!" She replied. Her eyes began to inspect the things she brought into this bathroom, including her discarded clothing, some soap for her hands, and a decorated knife that was her closest ally: Aureaflos.

She gripped Aureaflos behind her towel-wrapped body and adjusted her hair as she exited the bathroom. Her mark sat on the bed in the small room inside the Grimaret, and she looked to her left to see a window revealing the land below. Her mark's naked chest shone in the sunlight as he smiled.

"Is that a gift behind your back?" He asked.

"I suppose." She replied as she drew her free hand to her back as though she was unwrapping her towel. Her smile loosened into a simple stare as she clenched the hilt of her knife.

A scream echoed through the halls inside one of the upper floors of the Grimaret. It seemed to be a man's. Aversa's ears perked up as she leaned against the door to the elevator and smiled. She watched as Layla emerged from a room down the hall after five minutes and walked towards her. She nodded her head as she noticed her bloody knife.

"Nicely done." She spoke.

* * *

*"Sev-... Severa! Ca-" A voice called out to Severa from… somewhere. She wasn't sure where in this swirling void of colors and shapes that was once the Herdsman's mansion. One minute she was sitting in Laurent's room, holding a vial of Grima's flakes, and the next moment his room was transformed into a neon forest. The floor had melted into a carpeted ceiling that hung the sky like a tarp, and his lamp bent and swirled as though it was made of jelly, and-

"Can you hear us?" Nah's voice cut in, louder than Laurent's but still a lull in her ears. She couldn't care less that they wanted to talk to her; she didn't want to partake in _their_ experiment, after all.

As she watched the sun shift into a green square that fell over the horizon, she sighed and figured now was the time to speak.

"Loud and clear." She replied to nobody, and nobody responded. "Guys, come on!" She looked around to find where they were. "This isn't funny!"

"They can't hear you, you know." A voice replied from behind her. A voice that she recognized all too well.

She quickly turned around to see if anyone was there, but her surroundings were as empty as her thoughts. "Over here." The voice was at her left now, and she whipped her head to see Grima sitting at her side with his legs sprawled out.

"Gah!" Severa jumped up and motioned to grab her sword. "You're not real! You're just a figment of my-"

"Oh, spare me the theatrics." Grima sighed and rolled his red eyes. "We're sitting in a living oil painting. Surely, me communicating with you isn't the strangest thing occurring." He held his hands up. "I can't harm you, so there's no point in acting defensive."

"How are you-"

"We're thinking on the same plane because my blood within you has awakened." Grima cut her off with a hasty reply.

"...What do you want?" Severa grumbled as she slowly sat down next to him.

"For you to join me." Grima stared off into the melting horizon. "Really, it's not that hard of a question to answer."

"If you know your friends will be killed if you say yes, then it is," Severa replied as she ran her fingers through the vividly-colored grass.

"Don't tell me you care about those numbskulls." Grima folded his arms and glared. "What are a few lives in the grand scheme of the world, anyway?"

"I wouldn't expect you to understand, anyway. You can't understand us, because you aren't one of us. You'll never be a quarter of the man whose body you've stolen." Severa stood up and loomed over Grima with her arms folded. He responded by laughing.

"I'm not in the mood to get told off by a moody teenager and her band of misfits. Just know that if you join me, I can reunite you with your mother." Grima stood up and stared into Severa's eyes.

"I don't want a risen masquerading as my mother." The mere thought of her mother turning into one of those… things... was enough to chill Severa to her core.

"Suit yourself." Grima slowly walked away and snapped his fingers. "I have a meeting to attend." The scenery around them began to change, shifting into a crimson desert illuminated by the sun above.

Severa noticed two long iron bars that stretched off along the ground with smaller bars underneath that were perpendicular to them. A whistling sound made her ears perk up as she stepped back.

A hulking behemoth of steel rolled along on the tracks with more wheels than Severa could count. A chimney billowed smoke from the head of this metal snake that chugged and chugged along. More vehicles followed behind it, connected by a chain. It gave the impression that this was one big locomotive instead of several smaller boxes on wheels.

As the end of this large vehicle sped away, Grima was gone. His voice, however, remained. Trailing over the horizon like an echo. "If you want the Darksphere, come to the Ylissean Castle! We can negotiate like you humans would!"

The scenery began to shift again; the hills of sand morphed into more familiar objects, like the lamp from Laurent's room. The only problem being that the lamp was upside down. Everything was, the ceiling was the floor, the lamp was now hanging from the ceiling, and even Laurent and Nah were upside down with agape jaws.

Severa looked to her feet and noticed that the only upside-down person was her, as she was standing on the ceiling.

"Guys…" She looked to Nah and Laurent with concern in her eyes. "Am I dreaming?"

"No," Laurent replied as he furiously began to scribble notes onto a clipboard. "But you are defying the laws of physics."

"You just…" Nah looked to the dirty boot prints on the wall and on the ceiling. "After absorbing those flakes, you just walked onto the ceiling like it was nothing."

" _Even the dragon is saying this is weird_..." Severa smirked, then held her hands up to reach the floor. She felt the silk of the carpet between her fingers, then felt as though she was falling. She fell off of the ceiling and onto the floor, knocking the wind out of her and leaving her sprawled out on the carpet. Laurent and Nah both helped her up and waited for her to catch her breath. The red glow underneath her eyes had vanished.

"Could you hear us while you were in that state?" Laurent asked.

"Grima… talked to me… He said something about being on the same plane of thinking, and he said he wants to negotiate giving us the Darksphere… Whatever that is." Severa replied as she leaned against the wall for support. The ceiling was now the ceiling and she was back on the floor; everything was as it should be.

"The missing Sable gemstone…" Laurent mumbled to himself. "It would be wise to discuss this at the war meeting."

"Oh, right… That…" Severa opened the door to reveal the hallways of the mansion. "You guys coming or…"

"We have to stay here and study what we just witnessed. We'll get there when we can." Nah answered as Severa closed the door behind her.

* * *

"So Grima wants to negotiate over the Sable gemstone?" Gerome asked as he stood up from his chair and adjusted his mask. Around him sat the other Herdsmen, watching the discussion intently.

"Yes. At the Ylissean Castle." Severa spoke and the mood of the room seemed to lower at the mere mention of the castle.

"It's surely a trap," Kjelle added.

"But what other option do we have?" Noire looked to the Fire Emblem on the wall, specifically the empty slot that the Sable gemstone would fit into. "The shield's useless without the last gemstone."

"Alas, without a winning move, we must play into the hands of our enemy," Owain mumbled as he leaned back in his seat. "Owain Dark must steel himself for the coming tria-"

"We don't need the play-by-play, buddy." Brady folded his arms. "Either we do something risky or we sit here with a stick up our arses."

"A crude point, but it still stands." Lucina finally spoke as she sat next to Severa. "We must assemble a recon squad and set out for the castle. A small group of say… four people should suffice, with the rest of us staying behind to guard the town."

"Easy. Lucina, Inigo, Morgan and I will go." Severa spoke up.

"Why are you so eager to go?" Yarne asked as Cynthia sat at his side, debating whether or not to touch his floppy ears.

"Do you want to go?" Severa turned the question back on him.

"...No." He turned his gaze to the ground.

"That _thing_ stole my dad's body, so I wanna find out what the hell he's willing to negotiate for. Morgan's in the same boat as me, so she's coming along." Severa looked to her sister, who didn't protest the idea. "And I'm not going without Lucina. Plus, it'd be cruel to leave Inigo here to twiddle his thumbs while his sister and friends are out exploring."

She looked out to the group of Herdsmen, who were silent. "Any objections? No?" Even Lucina, Inigo and Morgan were in silent compliance. "Alright. We'll set out tomorrow. You guys can stay here and guard the Emblem." Severa stood up and walked to the door. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go get a drink."

Severa left the room, leaving the Herdsmen dumbstruck at her ability to override a discussion and get something accomplished.

Outside the meeting room stood a short girl with white hair.

"Severa! Laurent and I have finished our report." Nah held a paper in her hands as Severa walked by.

"Walk with me." Severa continued to walk and turned her head to face Nah, who matched her pace as they approached the exit to the mansion. Severa pushed the doors open, revealing the run-down town that she called home.

**The streets of New Ylisstol were lined with unhappy folk who shambled down the dirt roads with the look of a disgruntled step-father. Severa smelt the air of corpses mixed with rotting wood; a smell she had grown accustomed to over the last week.

Despite their faces, the townspeople seemed pleased with the efforts of the Herdsmen, as there were no whispers of a mutiny.

"When you absorb those flakes left by the Fell Dragon, they act as a catalyst for your blood." Nah spoke as she walked down the road next to Severa. "Like the descendants of the Twelve Jugdralian Crusaders, you have blood laced with the power of gods. When your blood is awakened, you gain a mark like those descendants, though it is only temporary."

Severa wished someone had told her about this earlier. "Your body produces so much energy that it has to burn it off faster than the flakes can reproduce, which is why this state is temporary. When you are in this state, however, your powers rival that of the Fell Dragon himself."

"Oh really?" Severa raised her eyebrow.

"I doubt you would survive a duel to the death with him, but you do gain increased strength, speed, heightened senses, and the ability to defy gravity." The two stopped right outside Holland's bar.

"That's nice and all, but… do you know if Morgan has these abilities?" Severa asked as she watched people walk in and out of the bar.

"An interesting question. As it stands, Laurent and I have no more of the flakes, so we cannot test her." Nah turned around and began to walk away. "Try to find more of these flakes if you can!"

Severa waved to her and walked into the dimly-lit bar, sitting down at her favorite spot and watched as Holland wheeled himself over.

"Hey, Holland." She waved as Holland placed a root beer at her spot.

"Hello." He smiled and wheeled away to handle the requests of other patrons. There was something calming about the bar that Severa enjoyed and was the main reason she kept coming back.

A familiar hand tapped her on the shoulder. She turned, saw that no one was there, then turned back to see Cynthia sitting next to her.

"Made you look." Cynthia smiled with that same damn smile that Severa recognized from her childhood.

"Holland! Another drink over here, please!" Severa raised her hand and called out to get Holland's attention. He then passed a drink down the bar to Cynthia, who caught the glass before it could fall off the counter.

"You know, it's been such a whirlwind of events recently that I never got to ask how you're holding up," Cynthia spoke after taking a swill of her drink.

"Pretty good. You?" Severa asked back.

"Trying to smile even though I know my dad's gone…" Cynthia looked at the floor and her smile vanished.

"I know that feeling all too well. Hurts even more when you lose your mom as well, as I'm sure you know."

"My mom isn't dead." Cynthia looked to Severa with a raised eyebrow.

"But I thought she died in a battle with my mom…" Severa remembered Cordelia's exact words that night.

"Did Cordelia…" Cynthia paused as her eyes stared off into space. Even from outside, Severa could see the gears turning in her head. "Okay, here's what happened. A squad of risen attacked my house and killed my dad. They wanted your mom. Your mom sacrificed herself to give the risen what they wanted, and ordered my mom and I not to follow her."

"What the…" Severa's mind began to race; why would her mother lie to her like that?

"My mom is the only surviving member of the Shepherds. Not even Tiki survived the risen attacks." Cynthia finished the last of her drink.

"You'd think the daughter of Naga would survive a couple risen…" Severa mumbled, as her real focus was on the mystery presented to her. Cynthia assumed she was upset over this revelation.

"My guess is your mother died protecting you, but the only person who knows the real answer is her." Cynthia stood up and waved as she walked away. "Sorry if I dampened the mood. See you around!"

"See you…" Severa couldn't even find the strength to smile. " _I don't need protecting… Do I? Am I really that much of a liability?_ "

* * *

"Thank you for dinner," Severa mumbled as she looked at her plate of peas on the table. The familiar walls of her house trapped her inside the room while her mother sat opposite her. Morgan sat at her adjacent side, happily eating her food.

"Is something wrong? You seem upset." Cordelia asked. Severa's blood began to boil as she looked to her fork.

"Oh, you know… Realizing that your mother died protecting you tends to make people upset." Severa replied in a quick manner. "Am I really that much of a burden to you? You didn't ask me to hel-"

"That's enough." Cordelia stood up and glared at Severa. "When you have children of your own, you'll understand what it means to care about them." Morgan gulped and covered her head with her arms.

"What am I to you? A stuffed doll? An emotionless husk that just sits there and makes you look pretty?" Severa yelled as she stood up. "I have feelings, gods-dammit!" Morgan was crying now. After a long, excruciating pause, Cordelia broke the silence.

"Severa, it's time to get up." Her mouth moved but it was Lucina's voice that came out of it. "Are you having a nightmare?"

"What?" Severa quickly turned to face the walls of her house as they crumbled away. The walls, along with Cordelia and Morgan, disappeared. In their wake was a view of the world; swathes of trees painted the ground, the Ylissean Castle sat in the back, and the judgemental gaze of her mother hung in the sky.

Severa awoke in her bed and struggled to see her surroundings through the dark. All she could make out was Lucina's face hanging over her.

"You must've had a dreadful nightmare. You were tossing and turning in your sleep." Lucina asked as she leaned back; Severa noticed that she was wearing her blue armor. "Are you ready to go?"

"Y-yeah… Sure."

* * *

You've probably seen the big 'Section A' header by now and are wondering what that means. The first third of this act is 30,000 words, so I figured I should split it into three pieces and upload it in said chunks to keep the flow going. The second third of this act is Section B, with the last third being Section C.


	29. S Act II: In Search of Victory Part II

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section A

In Search of Victory

Part II

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Green Greens_ from _Kirby's Dreamland_ when you see one * mark, and _Guardian Battle_ from _The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

*A chill ran down Grima's long spine while he turned his head to the roof of Duma's cavern. The torches along the walls had dimmed and everyone seemed to be asleep. His six wings continued to flap while he hovered in place.

"Do you need something, friend?" Duma asked from his curled-up position at the end of the cave.

"Do you, uh…" Grima paused as he sheepishly looked at the ground and the river of underneath him. "Do you have any sleep aids?"

"Hmmm…" The eye in Duma's skull drifted around while he began to ponder. "Have you tried the coffee?" Duma used his claw to point to a nearby container of coffee that Jedah had imported.

"Yes. Marla suggested that last night yet it only gave me further insomnia." Grima spoke again. "I wouldn't mind having another drink of that, but not right now."

"How about a view of the night sky?"

"...What's that?" Grima asked.

"You mean you've never seen the stars dance in the heavens above?" The eyes on the side of Duma's head were now open in shock.

"All I've ever lived in is the interior of two caves, so yes."

Duma replied with a two taps of his claw on the stone floor he laid on. With a flash of purple light, Jedah appeared in front of Duma and was frantically searching around.

"Milord Duma! Is everything alright! Are you hurt?" He wore a sleeping gown adorned with crescent moons and a nightcap atop his blue head.

"No, Jedah, I am fine." Duma yawned. "I need you to cast a projection of the night sky on the ceiling."

"For whom?" Jedah turned around and scowled at Grima. Grima responded with a meek smile.

"Grima needs help sleeping."

"Absolutely not. This is a waste of my time and I'm going back to bed-"

"Jedah…" Duma spoke again with a hint of inflection in his tone. This was not the first time he had talked to Jedah about this issue.

"I am not helping this thing, Milord." Spittle flew from Jedah's shouting lips and onto the floor beneath Grima.

"You introduced us. Why the change of heart?" Grima asked in a passive tone.

"I was foolish back then. I've heard the sweet lies you tell my daughter! I've read your thoughts! You're thinking of leaving the cavern and taking Marla with you!"

"How dare you search my mind!" Grima broke his calm and yelled at Duma with a bellowing voice.

"Is this true?" Duma's eye was now focused on Grima. who tried his best to calm down.

"...I have been entertaining the idea for a while now, yes. But I would never abandon you to deal with Alm and Celica by yourself. I was hoping to receive your blessing as well before departing."

"Then I see no problem with this. I grant you my blessing to depart with Marla once we squash Alm and Celica like the bugs they are."

"B-but sire! I will not abide this insubordinatio-" Jedah stopped himself once he noticed that Duma's eye was focusing on him and glowing. Magical energy began to crackle around his eye, sending a chill down Jedah's spine.

With nary a word, Jedah pointed his finger to the ceiling and muttered an incantation. The rocky covering was now bathed in dark blue, and spots of light were dancing among the indigo swirl and dazzling Grima's eyes.

"It's… beautiful…" Grima could hardly focus as the colors swirled above. "Thank you for… dealing with Jedah." He yawned and hardly felt like he could stay afloat. "I should get to sleep."

Duma simply smiled and watched as his friend floated away, down the cavern and past the bend until he was out of view.

Grima arrived at his own little section of the cavern to see that Marla was barely awake and leaning next to a wall. Her eyes were glued to the ceiling, much like Grima's. "Did you… did you hear anything your father said?" Grima asked as he began to slowly lower himself onto the floor.

"No. Was it of importance?" Marla asked as she watched Grima land on the ground and curl himself up like a snake. She walked over and leaned against his back, then felt one of his feathery wings drape over her like a blanket.

"It's…" He stopped himself to yawn, when really he felt a knot in his throat. "It was nothing."

Grima's eyes slowly opened, greeting him with a similar view of the night sky through a window in the ceiling. He inspected his human hands and heard snores echo out of Cordelia's nostrils as she held Grima in her slumber.

Normally, his dreams consisted of the screams of Forneus and Duma melded together, but recently they had taken a turn. He had started to remember his first love, Marla. A tragic tale between witch and dragon that only served to further harden Grima's heart.

A part of him wished he could save her like he planned to with Duma, but he knew there was no way.

* * *

A few hours later, Grima had gotten out of bed and seated himself on his throne in the main hallway of the castle. He had a meeting to attend to, after all.

"Master, you summoned?" Excellus' high-pitched tone cut through the silence like a thunder strike in a library as the pudgy man approached.

"Yes, yes. Take a seat, mayor." Grima pointed to a nearby couch he had placed solely for meetings such as this. "The others should arrive shortly..."

Excellus promptly seated himself on the couch and sprawled his hands out as though he owned the damn thing. Before Grima could think to tell him off, the sounds of pegasi wings flapping made his ears perk up. He looked up to see Aversa descend from the sky aboard her ebony steed and land on the ground. "How did you get in here?"

"You still haven't patched up the holes in the ceiling." Aversa pointed to above, in which a sizable chunk of the roof was missing and revealing the skin of Grima's other body. "Greetings."

"Hello," Grima replied as he cursed the carpenters he had hired. He pointed to the couch with an open spot, but Aversa elected to stand by the couch instead. Grima noticed that her cloaked outfit of purple leather was rather modest, instead of her more revealing attire that she had worn before Grima broke his seal and returned.

The symbol of the Grimleal appeared, and the image flipped upside-down until it resembled a gate made of magical lines. Out of the gate stepped Validar, who dispelled the gate with a snap of his fingers.

"I hope I am not late." He smiled as he approached and seated himself next to Excellus.

"You could have been here earlier, but I digress." Grima shrugged his shoulders as he remained on his throne. "Now, let us discuss. Severa, Morgan and their band of worms will run into Ylisstol for safe haven, thanks to some shepherding from Cordelia." He was thankful that he had distracted her with some minor labor so she could not overhear this. "Aversa, is the bounty set?"

"Yes, although I don't see why you think the boy will come to Ylisstol with them."

"Take it from their mother," Grima replied. "Where they go, the Exalt's spawn will follow. Excellus, I trust you've set aside rooms for them in my tower?"

" _You don't check in enough to claim the Grimaret as your own_." Excellus thought to himself. "Yes, my lord."

"Seeing as that's taken care of… Validar, how goes the efforts in Valm?"

"We have starting extracting sap from the Mila Tree and transporting it back here. Hopefully, it will aid in your plan." Validar spoke.

"Oh, believe me… It will…" Grima smirked as he rested back in his chair. "That is all. Consider this meeting adjourned. I hope you all follow through on your tasks."

"I shall give it my all, sir," Aversa spoke, then mounted her steed and flew off.

"As you wish, my lord." Validar snapped his fingers again to summon his magical gate, then disappeared through it. Grima turned his gaze to Excellus, who didn't even bother standing up.

"What, do you have some grand exit that you're waiting for?" Grima watched the front entrance and waited for a squad of risen to carry Excellus out like the god he presumed himself to be.

"Unfortunately, no." Excellus sighed as he finally stood up and looked at Grima with wide eyes. "I am to walk back to Ylisstol on my lonesome unless there happens to be a large dragon that can ferry me across."

"Don't even think about it." Grima glared at him as he began to walk out.

"Fine." Excellus turned his head and stuck his tongue out at Grima. "This is why some people still worship Nag-" He mumbled under his breath.

"What did you just say?" Grima stomped his foot and raised his voice.

"N-nothing, sire!" Excellus scurried out with his tail between his legs. Grima folded his arms as he watched the sniveling coward escape; every day he pondered whether or not to kill him where he stood. The only problem being he had charisma, ironically, and could lead a town like nobody's business.

A pair of soft, warm hands wrapped around Grima's torso, making his heart skip a beat as he turned to see Cordelia's head resting on his shoulder.

"Just in time." Grima's voice changed entirely to a warmer tone. "I believe the kids will be going through the forests north of Ylisstol. Would you be a dear and pick them up there?"

Cordelia nodded her head and smiled as she planted a kiss on Grima's cheek. He wondered if she was kissing him or Robin.

* * *

A large expanse of trees stood behind Severa, Lucina, Morgan and Inigo. They had been on the path for roughly one day in their trek to the Ylissean Castle, and at the pace they walked at they would reach the castle next morning.

"Should we set up camp yet?" Inigo adjusted the straps on his backpack as he looked to the orange-tinted sky above. His gut told him that it was nearing dinnertime.

"Not yet." Severa turned her gaze to him and forced herself to not snap back with a 'shut up' out of instinct. "We should go a little further until we set camp."

They continued to march along underneath the orange sky until a collection of figures caught their attention. A small group of men dressed in rags and sorting through a small mound of deer corpses.

"Bandits?" Lucina whispered as she stopped her approach.

"Maybe," Morgan spoke as she clutched her tome. "Or, they could be friendly. We should approach and find out."

"We could be walking into our graves…" Inigo sighed as he sheathed his sword. "Are you sure we should go ahead?"

"Only one way to find out." Severa held her hands up and began to yell. "Hey! Over here!"

The group ahead looked up from their food and to Severa. Even from a distance, their confusion was noticeable. "We mean you and your men no harm!"

They seemed to be mumbling to themselves and continued to do so as Severa began to walk towards them with her friends in tow.

"Who the hell are they?" One of the hunters asked his leader. One minute they were preparing some food, the next they were being set upon by ruffians that wanted to steal their food.

"I think their leader just said 'we mean to steal your farm.'" The leader of the hunters spoke. "Farm might be a codeword for our food."

"Great, more thieves…" Another hunter mumbled as he drew his sword. "You'd think their parents would raise them better."

"They're approaching, and fast." The first hunter noticed that the group of four teenagers was walking towards them. "They've sheathed their swords."

"It could be a ploy. Remain on guard and keep your bows notched." The leader drew his bow, while half of his hunters drew their own.

"Hey, hey! What's with the weapons?" Severa held her hands up.

"Not even a minute ago, you claimed you wished to steal our farm." The leader of the hunters kept his bow focused on her.

"What? No, no." Severa looked to the other hunters. "I said we mean you no harm."

"We really don't." Morgan chimed in as she continued to hold her hands up.

"Boss, I don't think these kids are lying." One hunter whispered in his leader's ear.

"And why do you think that?" The leader replied.

"What would they have to gain by fighting us? They don't look like they could skin a deer corpse even if they tried." Upon closer inspection, the children looked as though they had just set out into this harsh world.

"...You're right." The hunters set their bows aside and loosened their shoulders. "Apologies for the stand-off, you surely know how cruel this world can be."

"No, no. It's fine." Severa smiled as she lowered her hands. "We'd do the same if we were in your shoe-"

A rustling in the bushes and trees behind the hunters caught her attention. The leaves jittered and shook as though they were ensnared in a tornado. "Is something in there?"

A cloaked figure leaped out of the bushes and rolled onto the ground. Her hood was pulled over her face, but even with an invisible visage, Severa could recognize her as the Cloaked Woman.

"Friend of yours?" The leader asked, unnerved by the darkness of her head.

"No..." Severa began to back up while Morgan followed her lead. Inigo and Lucina both looked like they had seen a ghost. "She's been chasing us."

"Uh… She seems harmless…" One of the hunters cautiously approached her; her head tracked his advance. "She doesn't even have any weapo-"

**With a quick twirl of the spear she was hiding behind her back, the Cloaked Woman impaled the hunter through the chest and loomed over him as he fell to the ground. He screamed as she twisted her spear through his innards, expelling blood onto the ground from his lips.

"Seven hells!" The leader of the hunters yelled as he drew his bow. He quickly fired an arrow, only for her to effortlessly sidestep it as she removed her spear from the corpse. She hurled her spear into the chest of the leader, almost like she was demonstrating how to use a projectile, then sprinted towards the screaming leader.

The other hunters watched in shock as she smashed her fist into their leader's face, yanked her spear out of his chest, then kicked him to the floor like a discarded training dummy.

"Oh, gods…" Lucina gasped as her eyes focused on the blood staining the grass around the leader. They had only known him for a grand total of five minutes, but they felt _something_ as his corpse laid there.

"We need to leave! Now!" Inigo grabbed Morgan by the hand and pulled her out of her trance as they ran away. Severa stood there, watching the Cloaked Woman tear through the hunters with an unnerving silence. An idea began to form in her head as she lopped off the leg of the last hunter and left him on the ground.

Severa began to cry and wipe her eyes. Lucina watched from the sidelines and could see what she was attempting. She remembered last week when Severa was able to stop her rampage with her tears.

The Cloaked Woman stopped as she heard Severa's wails, and she quickly turned to face her. Severa continued to cry as the Cloaked Woman sheathed her bloody spear and approached.

" _That's right… Just a little closer…_ " Severa could see the Sable gemstone hanging from her necklace; just within reach.

Severa's eyes widened as the Cloaked Woman drew her clenched fist back. " _That's not how you hug someone..._ "

Severa was interrupted by the Cloaked Woman's fist smashing into the side of her head, knocking her to the ground in a confused daze. She felt the taste of dirt between her teeth as she laid on her chest, and she looked up to see the Cloaked Woman leaning over her with an unnerving coldness.

"Get away from her!" Lucina charged the side of the Cloaked Woman and landed a strike with her fist at her head, sending the Cloaked Woman to the ground. She quickly helped Severa up and ran away with her hand in her grasp; they turned their heads to see the Cloaked Woman pick herself off the ground and watch them escape.

They ran until they caught up to Morgan and Inigo; they didn't care that their legs felt inflamed. They were just happy to be alive.

"We need to get out of here," Inigo repeated his previous statement, but something caught his eye. To their left was a vast wall of a forest, and the right was a group of trees.

Directly in front of them was the Cloaked Woman, sprinting towards them at a blisteringly fast speed.

Without saying a word, the group ran into the group of trees at their right and weaved between the large trees. They panted for breath as they split up and hid behind two separate trees. Severa sat on the ground and brought her knees to her chest as she panted for breath. She leaned her back against the hard oak of the tree and brought her hand to her cheek. There was a bump where the Cloaked Woman struck her. She looked to her left to see Lucina sitting at her own tree and also panting from exhaustion.

A sharp sound of footsteps cut through their silence. The footsteps continued and grew closer and closer with each passing moment. Severa's heart was beating out of her chest by the time the footsteps stopped.

The sound of metal cutting through wood broke the silence. Severa winced; the Cloaked Woman must have sliced the tree in half and was going to grab her. She slowly opened her eyes to see that she was still sitting behind the tree underneath the setting sunlight, but she couldn't see Lucina, Inigo or Morgan anywhere.

She looked up to see the tip of a spear protruding through the tree. She blinked, and the spear was gone. Anxiety gripped her body as she winced and waited for the spear to pierce her body.

The Cloaked Woman walked around the tree and stood before Severa. She looked down at her as she sheathed her spear. Severa gave no resistance as the Cloaked Woman picked her up like a sack of fruits and slung her over her shoulder. She only used one hand to carry Severa, and the other was protecting the Sable gemstone so Severa couldn't grab it.

Morgan watched from afar with Lucina and Inigo, who had escaped the trees. They could not have gone back for Severa while the Cloaked Woman approached, lest they risk all being apprehended.

" _Not now…_ " Morgan thought to herself as she quickly grabbed Inigo's sword and walked towards the Cloaked Woman. "Hey!"

The Cloaked Woman turned her gaze to Morgan. As did Severa while she hung over her shoulder. "Put down my sister, or…"

Morgan brought the tip of Inigo's blade to her chest. The shoulders of the Cloaked Woman tensed. "I'll end my life! I'm serious!"

"Morgan! Stop!" Inigo and Lucina ran towards her. The Cloaked Woman stood there, silently perusing her options.

With nary a word, she put Severa back on the ground and began to back away. "Leave us alone, or else I'll do it!" The Cloaked Woman turned her back and walked away as Morgan placed the sword on the ground. She wiped her sweat from her brow as Severa walked towards them with a frazzled look.

"How did you…" Severa hugged her sister as Inigo retrieved his sword.

"Grima wants us alive. Her mission is failed if one of us dies."

"But…" Inigo tried to protest but couldn't find a reason to. "...Good thinking, Morgan." Morgan nodded in response as she looked at the ground.

"Was that shadow always there?" She pointed to the rectangular shadow at their feet. It seemed to be cast by a building, but there were none in sight. The only object that could cast a shadow like this was the Ylissean Castle, but the sun was not behind that yet.

"What the…" Lucina followed Morgan's gaze as she looked to where this building should be. Without saying a word, Morgan walked along the shadow. Severa followed behind; she wanted to know what was going on.

They walked in silence for a while until Morgan suddenly disappeared. One second she was ahead of them, the next she was gone. Severa panicked and hurriedly looked around to find her sister, and her panic was increased twofold when her floating head appeared before her.

"Everyone! Check this out!" Morgan's head disappeared; without spending a thought, Severa ran towards her. She felt the hairs on her arm stand on edge as she stopped running to see Morgan standing before her.

Behind Morgan was an expansive city, full of tall buildings and surrounded by a large wall. The tallest building stretched into the sky and must've been the source of the shadow. "There's some sort of cloaking spell along the perimeter…" Morgan dragged her hand along the air and noticed ripples form in the invisibility field.

Lucina and Inigo emerged and were promptly dumbfounded by the sight of the city.

"This is… Ylisstol." Lucina spoke in awe. "I thought it was wiped off the map."

"Just what in Naga's name is going on here?" Inigo's eyes followed the large skyscraper.

"Only one way to find out." Severa pointed towards what seemed to be the entrance to Ylisstol.

The group set out towards the large city, unaware of the Cloaked Woman following a good distance behind them. If they could see through her hood, they would see her smiling.


	30. S Act II: In Search of Victory Part III

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section A

In Search of Victory

Part III

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Studiopolis Zone Act 1_ from _Sonic Mania_ when you see one * mark, and _Record_ from _Fire Emblem Fates_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

The buildings of the town lit up through their windows while the night sky began to darken. As the group approached the town, they noticed that the entrance was walled off with a large gate. Outside the gate was a small crowd of people.

When they approached the gate, Severa stood at the end of the line while the rest shuffled behind her. The line moved forward every five minutes, and whenever it moved, a disgruntled man or woman would walk away from the city.

"This must be how they regulate immigrants," Lucina whispered from behind Severa. After only ten minutes had passed since they joined the line, a person wearing a suit approached them.

"Excuse me, are you Severa?" He asked as he inspected a drawing of Severa in his hands. She noticed the symbol of the Grimleal on the front of his suit.

"...Yes. Who's asking?" Severa replied.

"The acceptance committee. You and your friends are to follow me to the front of the line." He walked towards the front of the line; Severa turned to her friends, shrugged her shoulders, then followed him.

"I've never seen a trap as obvious as this," Inigo muttered as he followed Severa.

"What else can we do? Die of exhaustion from standing around?" Morgan followed after him with Lucina behind her.

"So uh… Why do we get to cut the line?" Severa asked the man.

"Being the daughter of our Lord has its perks." He spoke back as Severa's thoughts began to spin. They continued to walk past the long line of people, who were furious that a group of young fools could cut the line, but they were paid no mind.

"I'm sorry, miss, but we don't have enough space for you and your family." A man spoke. He seemed to regulate the gates as he stood behind a counter. Behind him was a banner that read 'welcome to Ylisstol: home of the Grimleal.'

"B-but…" A woman replied and stuttered as she stood next to six children. They each looked up at the man with wide eyes. "Can't you please make an exemption?"

Another man walked into sight next to the gatekeeper and whispered into his ear. Severa couldn't hear what was being said, but she assumed it had to be something along the lines of the woman being Plegian.

If there was one thing she had known about Plegia, it's that they were prone to discriminating based on nationality.

"On second thought, we should be able to squeeze you in." The gatekeeper smiled as he pulled a lever, lifting the gate up and allowing the family in.

"Thank you!" The woman beamed with delight as she herded her family inside. The gatekeeper smiled back as he shut the gate behind her. "Next!"

"Creator's grace, Benjamin." Severa's guide spoke as he walked in front of the gatekeeper.

"Creator's grace, Charles. Are these more young pups eager to learn about our Lord and savior?" The gatekeeper replied as he turned his gaze to Severa and her friends.

"Not exactly. These two," Charles pointed to Inigo and Lucina. "Are honorary guests of the Children of Grima." He then pointed to Morgan and Severa.

Benjamin quickly looked behind him to see a poster of two girls, one with white ponytails and the other with short, red hair. He then looked back to Severa and Morgan.

"We are honored to be in your presence, children of Grima." Benjamin bowed his head as he pulled the lever.

The gate raised, allowing Charles to lead the group inside the town. "Enjoy your stay!" Benjamin called out as they walked through the gate.

*The wide, brightly lit streets of Ylisstol made Severa squint her eyes as she adjusted from the darkness of the gate. Poles of metal with lights affixed to them lined the roads and buildings, ensuring that everything was visible in the dead of night.

"Wow…" Morgan's eyes widened as she looked around to the various buildings, all of which seemed to be lit not by fire but by some unknown source of power. She quickly ran to the side of a clothing store to see a collection of spinning gears and pulleys on the side of the wall.

"His magnificence is waiting for you at the Grimaret." Charles pointed to the largest building in the city, adorned with a rainbow of lights that flashed on and off after every few seconds. "But feel free to do some light shopping before then."

"We didn't bring any gold…" Severa sighed as she looked to her empty pocket where her coin purse would be.

"Oh, don't worry about that. Your gold's no good here." Charles handed her a large, velvet sack that she quickly opened to reveal it was full of purple coins. Each coin had the symbol of the Grimleal on them. "We deal in gril instead of your inflated gold values."

"What's the exchange rate?" Inigo asked as he eyed the coins.

"One gril is equal to one-thousand gold, and there's one-thousand gril in that bag…"

"One million gold!?" Morgan quickly did the math and grabbed the purse from her sister. "And you're just giving it to us?"

"More of those perks I spoke of earlier." He waved his hand as he walked away into the crowd of people on the road. "Farewell! Enjoy your stay!"

Within a blink of an eye, their guide was gone, leaving the group to ponder what to do.

"Let's divide our grils evenly." Severa looked to a nearby bench and sat down as droves of people walked by. Even though this was a city run by the god who had ruined the world, its inhabitants seemed rather happy.

"But there's a thousand of those things in there," Lucina mumbled as she followed Severa to the bench and felt grass underneath her feet instead of stone. They seemed to have stumbled into a park, judging by the gardens and trees around them.

"Let me handle it." Morgan took the satchel and dumped the pile of coins onto the bench. She began to sort the coins into four piles, one for each of them. "You guys go walk around. This'll take a while."

"I'll stay here in case anyone tries to rob you." Inigo sat down on the bench next to the piles as he looked up to the full moon. Severa and Lucina walked away on a path adorned with stones that led through the park. At the sides of the road were various gardens, including a collection of roses planted on a hill that made the symbol of the Grimleal.

"I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised at how beautiful this place is," Lucina spoke as she stood atop a bridge that went over a river. Moonlight reflected off the water and bathed the park in a hauntingly-elegant glow.

"I'm not convinced. This town must have some horrible underbelly where they hunt children or something." Severa leaned over the handrails of the bridge and looked to the fish swimming through the clear water. Across the lake that the river connected to, she could see a man and a woman holding hands at the water's edge.

The man had purple skin, like a risen, and wore a mask, just like a risen.

"I suppose you're right. This is Grima we're talking about." Lucina followed her gaze, then turned to see a marble pillar sticking out of the grass to their left. She walked over to the slab and inspected it to find a map etched onto it.

"What's that?" Severa followed her and stood next to her.

"Some sort of map. Apparently, we are right… here." She pointed to a large dot in the bottom left of the map, which had 'you are here' next to it. The map depicted what seemed to be an overhead view of Ylisstol, with the large skyscraper in the middle and a cartoon-ish depiction of Grima's dragon head in the northwest corner. If the map was to be believed, then Ylisstol had grown in size since Lucina had lived here. The distance from the gate to the park was only a mere fraction of the town, with vast rows of shops and other buildings lining the roads.

The map also stated that the Grimaret had many points of interest inside it, including a gambling hall, a theater, various diners, an inn, and even a Skydeck for people to observe the town from the roof.

"We should stop by some of those shops before we go to the... Grimaret." Severa rolled the words from her tongue as though she was coughing. She leaned back from the map and walked to Morgan's bench. Lucina silently nodded as she followed Severa, and when they returned, they found Morgan proudly displaying two equally-sized piles of grils on the bench.

"Ta da!" Morgan handed Severa her pile, and Lucina her own. "I already have mine, and Inigo has his." She pointed to Inigo, who sat on the bench and inspected one of the coins.

"There's a map back there if you two don't want to go shopping." Severa pointed to the bridge, which Morgan and Inigo walked towards while Lucina and Severa waited on the bench.

* * *

The group split up after Morgan realized that she couldn't care less for some shopping, and instead wanted to visit a museum that was shown on the map. She promised Severa that she knew where she was going and that she would meet up with them at the Grimaret.

Inigo had followed Severa and Lucina on their quest to go shopping but turned tail once he realized they were going into a boutique. Instead, he settled for a shop labeled 'Sextuple Spectacles' that had a rather humorous drawing of Grima wearing three pairs of sunglasses.

He entered the shop from the bustling roads to find rows upon rows of eyewear lining the shelves. Monocles, spectacles, bifocals, regular glasses, and most important of all: sunglasses.

Inigo grabbed a pair of sunglasses with a blue border and set them on his eyes, darkening his view but surely increasing his charm tenfold. He looked to a nearby mirror to see a rather handsome lad clad in shades smiling back at him. He pointed his fingers at the mirror and did his best cocky grin he could muster.

After deciding this was the pair he wanted, he walked to the front counter with both grils and sunglasses in hand. A girl with pink hair stood before him in line, and she just finished buying something as he walked up.

"Creator's grace." She spoke, then quickly turned around and bumped into Inigo. "Ow! Sorry!" She quickly took a step back and looked to Inigo with a flustered stare.

"No, no it's fine," Inigo replied, then noticed that this girl was focusing on his eyes rather intently. "...Is there something on my face?"

"Apologies, sir, it's just that you look rather… dashing." She hurriedly scurried out of the shop and into the road. Inigo watched her leave, confused as to how forward she was. He considered himself somewhat of a ladies man, barring a few missteps here or there, but to have some girl openly admit that he looked handsome? That was unheard of.

Layla sighed as she leaned against the corner of the shop's wall, out of sight and mind of the crowd. There was no denying it; her target had arrived. She pressed her finger to her pearl earring and spoke into it. "Master Aversa. My mark has arrived."

Aversa's voice spoke out of the earring for Layla's ears only. "At once, master." She took her finger off the earing and began to stride down the road towards the Grimaret.

* * *

"So, are you her sister or something?" The old clerk of the boutique asked Severa as she leaned against the front counter. The smell of cakes and pies from a bakery across the street caught her nostrils and refused to let go.

"Nope. Just friends." Severa replied as she looked to the changing room. Lucina should be out any minute now.

"You know, you remind me of one customer I had about… ten years ago, I believe." The clerk smiled at Severa while she leaned her elbow on the counter. "She had long, red hair, and the prettiest smile you could ever see. She came here with her husband, or at least her very good friend."

"What did he look like?" The mere mention of long, red hair was enough to make Severa ponder. Did her parents live in Ylisstol? She never asked them about where they lived before they moved to Tutidomas.

"He looks exactly like Grima." The clerk spoke with a smile as Severa's gut sank.

"...Oh. You s-see, that's funny that you mention it..." She stuttered as she looked to the changing room. " _Lucy, we need to go…_ "

"Oh, relax Severa. I'm just teasing you." The clerk knew her name. How? "I know you're the daughter of that lovely couple."

"H-how did you know my name?" Beads of sweat trickled down Severa's brow.

"Everyone in town knows you. You're the daughter of our god, for crying out loud."

"But that means you're Ylissean. I thought this town didn't allow Ylisseans in."

"Oh, hogwash." The old woman giggled as she looked at the road. "That's just silly. Half of the people here are Ylissean, myself included."

"Huh…" Severa looked to where she was pointing and to the people outside. "But you worship Grima."

"I was a devout follower of Naga, even when Grima first brought his reckoning down upon the land. I remember the night when he attacked the castle and drove the Exalt's wife out, gods bless her soul." She paced back and forth. "But, he didn't attack any civilians after he took over. He gave us a choice; stay here and help start humanity over, or leave to the harsh land outside."

Severa listened intently as her guard lowered. "I stayed, and over the last nine years, this town has become quite the paradise. He's been using those Thabian doohickeys from the ruins to gift us with fancy technology" She pointed to the light fixtures on the walls that ran off of magic instead of lanterns. "And he lets everyone in, so long as they worship him."

"That's nice and all, but why did you renounce Naga?" Severa asked again.

"I don't see Naga doing anything to help those poor souls outside the city walls. In fact, what has she done?"

"I… Uh…" Severa raised her finger to speak, but couldn't find a point to make.

The door to the changing room opened and Lucina stepped out, wearing a white dress with a light blue sash around it. It looked identical to the dress Severa had worn to her graduation.

"How do I look?" Lucina blushed as Severa couldn't help but stare.

"Great…" She had to fight to tear her eyes off of her.

"I don't know… I think it's rather unfitting to buy this dress now." Lucina ran her hand along the fabric. "Can we put a reservation on it for later?"

"For you two, I'll make sure nobody else buys that dress." The clerk smiled as Lucina went back into the changing room. Shortly after, she emerged back in her blue uniform.

"Severa, do you want to try a dress on?" She asked.

"Oh, no thanks. Everyone would just judge me for wearing one, anyway." Severa's cheeks blushed as she looked at the crowd. They all knew who she was, and they were all surely disappointed that she was normal.

"Sev, that's not…" Lucina stopped; she needed to pick and choose her battles. Later, she would try to help her with this. "Okay. Let's go to the Grimaret."

Severa and Lucina waved to the clerk as they walked out of the boutique and into the road. The clerk smiled; that Severa girl had the exact same look on her face as her father did all those years ago.

* * *

**The lobby of the museum was so large that Morgan felt as tiny as a dormouse as she walked on the marble floor and looked up the multi-story building. In the center of the lobby, past all the crowds of people, was a statue of a massive, green dragon with a red eye in its forehead. She walked towards the statue and was in awe of its size. In front of the dragon was a smaller statue of a man wearing golden pauldrons with a green ponytail.

"Here we have Duma, the War Father." What looked to be a teacher leading a crowd of students spoke as Morgan slipped into the crowd. "History tells us that this Divine Dragon was the patron deity of Rigel. He believed the only way for humanity to survive was under his eye, and he believed the lowest of lows made one appreciate the highs."

Morgan followed the students past many smaller exhibits, including something called the Solar Brace that sat inside a glass box. "Now here," The teacher stood before the entrance to a wing labeled 'Hall of Villains.' "We have those on the wrong side of history. Class, explore for half an hour, and we'll meet back at the recreation of the Thabian Labyrinth.

The class disbanded and explored the hallway, walking past the wax figures of villains from throughout history. Morgan inspected the names of each one she walked past.

" _Gharnef, Michalis, Medeus, Nergal, Lyon…_ " She stopped before a wax figure of a man with brown hair, a full beard and mustache, and an ornate sword at his side. " _Raydrik? Where do I recognize that name..._ " She inspected the small text box in front of the wax figure.

'The scheming Duke of Manster who orchestrated countless deaths. Wielded the mighty Loptous Sword yet was slain by Leif in the siege of Castle Manster.' Morgan remembered that her childhood book about the Genealogy of the Holy War had a brief note on Raydrik.

"Ms. Apple, who's Arvis?" A small child asked the teacher as they stood before the depiction of the Duke of Velthomer.

"He was a man who wanted to create a world free of prejudice. One where all people could live without fear of repression. He had to commit some awful acts to achieve this, but he was still a noble soul." The teacher replied.

Morgan's gaze turned to a wax figure of Grima that stood in the middle of the hallway.

"Wow, they sure made this one fast." She mumbled.

"Hello." The statue responded. Morgan noticed that it was breathing.

"Wow! It even talks, too!" Was this more of that Thabian technology that powered the town?

"Morgan, it's me," Grima spoke. Morgan took a step back as she realized he wasn't a statue.

"Oh, hey dad." Morgan smiled as she hugged her father. Grima didn't know what to do for five seconds before he slowly hugged Morgan back.

"I trust your mother didn't hurt you on the way here?" He asked.

"Nope. Although she did punch Severa."

"That is unfortunate…" Grima made a note to grab some salve for his daughter. "Do you like the museum?"

"I like it." Morgan noticed that the crowd gave them a wide berth, seemingly out of respect for their deity.

"Please, follow me. There's a special exhibit I want to show you." Grima took her by the hand and led her out of the Hall of Villains. Morgan's eyes were glued to the exhibits, including a statue of the Goddess Ashunera. "This…" Grima pointed to a new hallway labeled 'The Wonders of Thabes' "Is where I was born."

"Wow…" Morgan broke free from Grima's grip and ran into the wing with excited eyes. The marble floor had changed into sandstone, with worn pillars lining the halls to add to the aesthetic of a decrepit ruin. "You were born here? How?"

"Why don't you ask the man who made me?" Grima pointed to the ghostly outline of a man with dark hair. The outline guided a small group of teenagers and pointed at a model the size of a thumbnail.

"Now, this was Grima before the 80th day after he was created." The man spoke. Morgan joined the group to see the tiny model looked like a human fetus.

"Mister Forneus, is it true that Duma attacked Thabes out of fear?" One teenager asked. Morgan doubted this was the real Forneus. Her eyes began to scan around for a tome casting this projection.

"Yes, regrettably. Duma was wary of the technology Thabes had designed and razed the city to the ground." How was it able to respond to questions? "The city was trapped underneath a sandy grave, but this happened before my time."

"What was some of the technology Duma was afraid of?"

"Allow me to answer that." Grima stepped forward to the adoration of the crowd. One girl almost fainted from the sight of her Lord. "He didn't enjoy the idea of spirits walking around in the world of the living like you see here."

" _Impossible…_ " Morgan gasped; this was the real Forneus? Grima could pull spirits back from the dead?

"However, he would regret what he had done," Grima added. "We all make mistakes, I suppose."

"Yes, and yours was killing me," Forneus spoke in a jokey manner as he smiled. Grima smiled as well.

"Will you ever let me live down my hot-headed prepubescent years?" Grima laughed as he attempted to place a hand on Forneus' shoulder, only for his arm to phase through the image. "Luckily, the ruins still housed the wonderful technology that powers this town."

"Is that why we have running water?" One girl asked as she raised her hand and clutched a tome.

"Yes. It turns out the scientists of Thabes were skilled at plumbing." Forneus answered on Grima's behalf. Grima walked away as Morgan followed.

"I trust you found that fascinating?" He asked.

"Yes, but I just wished you would show history from the other side as well," Morgan replied as they walked past the Thabian hallways.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You're showing history from the eyes of the villains. And while not all of them were murderous fiends like Gharnef, it's still only one side."

"You do know there is a hall of Lords, right?" Grima took her by the hand and led her out of the wing.

"Wait, really?" Morgan asked as she followed her father past the statue of Duma and into another wing. Inside the hallway was fifteen wax figures, most of which had blue hair.

"Here we have Marth…" Grima walked past the figures while Morgan examined each with wide eyes. "Alm, Celica, Sigurd, Seliph, Leif, Roy, Eliwood, Lyn, Hector, Eirika…" Grima paused to catch his breath as Morgan inspected the summary of Leif's life. "Ephraim, Ike, Micaiah, and your uncle."

Grima pointed to a wax figure of Chrom, who knelt with a model Falchion in the ground.

"The previous Exalt of Ylisse who forged bonds with many comrades. Unfortunately fell against Grima at the Dragon's Table." Morgan read the inscription aloud. "Wow… How difficult was it to talk about Chrom like that?"

"Not very. It's easier to present both sides of history and let the viewer determine who was right." Grima spoke as he held Morgan's hand and looked at the wax figure of Alm.

"I don't see why people call you a monster, father." Morgan huddled next to him from exhaustion. The trek to Ylisstol had sapped most of her energy.

"If people want to believe that, then they can. As long as they don't harm me, my family, or my town, they can do whatever the hell they want." He continued to stare at the wax figure of Alm. Where once, he felt rage towards the boy for killing him, he felt nothing.

He was just a servant of that damned Mila after all.


	31. S Act II: In Search of Victory Part IV

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section A

In Search of Victory

Part IV

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Bowser Jr. Boulevard_ from _Mario Sports Mix_ when you see one * mark, _Quartz Quadrant Past_ from _Sonic CD_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

A marble statue of Grima sat in the lobby of the Grimaret; a stream of water poured out of its mouth and into a fountain at its base. The floor matched the statue in color as light bounced off of it.

Severa and Lucina walked in with dumbstruck awe at the lavish building and noticed Inigo sitting on a chair. He had a pair of sunglasses on that looked noticeably dumb.

"There you two are." He got to his feet and walked towards them. "The man at the counter knew who I was, and he's waiting for you." Inigo looked at Severa then spoke to a man who spoke behind a counter.

"Creator's grace, madam." The man spoke and saluted as Severa approached. "We have been expecting you." He handed her a key with the number 136 at the top. "Here is the key to your suite."

"Is it on the first floor?" Severa asked as she held the key. She assumed that was what the one indicated.

"Thirteenth." The clerk corrected. Severa could hardly hide her shock.

"How many floors are there?" Lucina asked.

"Fifteen. The first five floors are attractions for tourists, such as our lovely gambling hall down there. The rest of the floors are for residents to live in." The clerk answered with a smile.

"Shouldn't Morgan be here by now?" Inigo realized that she had not shown up in the lobby.

"Oh, right. Your sister already stopped by and acquired her room key." The clerk turned to face Severa. "She instructed me to inform you that she was heading to the gambling hall." Before Severa could walk away, he made one more point. "I notice you three are armed. Normally, I'd ask you to leave your weapons here, but I trust you can refrain from drawing steel on anyone."

"We'll make sure we don't cut anyone." Severa placed a gril on the counter as a tip for the clerk. She then proceeded down the hallway with Lucina and Inigo close behind. Her tired feet welcomed the soft embrace of the carpeted floor as they walked past a multitude of doors.

The low, continuous roar of a crowd was picked up by her ears as they continued their stride. They followed the noise until the hallway expanded into a circular room full of people standing in line. A bright, glowing sign that read 'Six Snake Eyes' hung above a line of people that sought entrance to the gambling hall. The group shuffled into the line and moved along for what must have been five minutes before they were allowed entry.

A burly man wearing a suit stood at the entrance to the gambling hall. Bright lights poured out from behind his back as he blocked the door.

"Enjoy your stay." The man spoke in a baritone voice as he stood aside.

*Severa, Inigo and Lucina stepped into the massive room and found their eardrums assaulted by the sounds of dice rolling, gambling chips clicking on tables, and the yells of poor souls who just lost their life's savings.

"Wow!" Severa exclaimed as she looked around the multi-floored hall. The center had a massive roulette wheel, while multiple balconies loomed above it.

"What?" Inigo asked as he covered his ears. "Can you speak up? I can't hear you!"

"Nevermind!" Lucina brought the two together in a group huddle so they could hear. "Let's find Morgan and leave!"

"Sounds like a plan!" As soon as Severa spoke, she turned to see someone approaching. Strutting down the carpeted floor was a well-endowed woman wearing a rabbit suit, complemented by bunny ears flopping atop her head. She continued her sultry gait towards Inigo until she pressed a finger to his chest.

"Hey there, big boy…" She smiled and stared directly into his flustered eyes.

" _Oh, gods-damn it…_ " Lucina sighed along with Severa.

"I've been searching all over this joint for a man who knows how to hold some cards, and I just can't seem to find one… Can _you_?" She bent over as she took a step back; Severa realized why her outfit had a low cutline.

"I-I-I c-can p-p-play c-c-ards…" Inigo replied in a shaky tone as sweat trickled down his brow. Lucina followed his gaze and felt repulsed but not surprised.

"Show me." She took him by the hand and walked down the carpeted floor with him in tow.

"Hey! Get back here!" Severa motioned to chase after him but Lucina grabbed her by the arm.

"Just let it happen. It's a good learning experience." She turned her gaze to the carpeted floor to see the symbol of the Grimleal made out of red diamonds lining the covering. "Now, if you were Morgan, where would you go?"

"The biggest attraction here." An idea sprung into Severa's mind as she walked towards the large roulette wheel in the center of the hall. Along the way, she passed by various tables that played all sorts of games of chance, and even more female attendants wearing skimpy rabbit costumes.

"How can they stand wearing those skimpy outfits?" Lucina asked as one attendant tossed her a lascivious glance. "I'd rather perish than wear one of those."

"Work is work." There was no doubt in Severa's mind that these women were paid handsomely for their work of siphoning money from the pockets of hot-headed gamblers.

"Thirty-two red!" A voice called out from the roulette wheel. Severa and Lucina both picked up their pace.

"Gods-damnit!" One angry voice called out, and a moment later s frustrated man stomped away from the wheel. He brushed by Severa and grumbled to himself all the while.

The familiar guffaw of Morgan's laughter rang through the hall and caught Severa's ears. She looked at the massive wheel to see Morgan sitting at the opposite side from where they stood. She brought her arms around a massive pile of grils and dragged it back, to another pile by her chair.

"Morgan!" Severa walked around the wheel and squinted her eyes from the overhead light. At Morgan's sides were bare-chested men who posed and flexed without saying a word. "What are you doing?"

"Winning!" Morgan replied back to Severa as she smiled, then turned to face the announcer of the table.

"Place your bets!" He beamed as he held a small ball in his grasp. "What'll you do, lil' lady?" He turned to look at Morgan. She paused, then pushed both piles of grils forward.

"I'm betting it all on my age! Fourteen!" Morgan beamed from ear-to-ear as she leaned back in her chair. It occurred to Severa that she had never seen her this happy in a long, long while.

"But Mistress Morgan, that's too risky!" One of her attendants spoke as she leaned her head against his bicep.

"Morgan, cut it out!" Severa had to fight to tear her eyes off of the sweaty, bulging muscles of Morgan's attendants. "We don't have time for these sideshows!"

"Dennis, can you distract my sister here?" Morgan asked her other attendant that was fanning her with a leaf.

"Can do, miss." The burly man nodded as he stood up and positioned himself between Severa and Morgan.

"Hey!" Severa tried to push back against the wall of toned muscles but to no avail. He made no attempt to harm her; instead, he just stood non-violently and kept Severa away.

"Any more bets?" The announcer asked from behind Dennis. "Going once, going twice!" Severa poked her head out from Dennis' side to see the table, and that the other gamblers had placed their bets of large gril piles.

The announcer pushed the side of the table, spinning it in place before he dropped his ball. The orb bounced around the ridges and grooves as the spinning wheel began to stop. The ball continued to bounce between the red and black spots until it stopped right on the edge of two numbers. Fourteen and thirty-one.

Lucina, who had been watching from afar, noticed that the announcer's left arm was behind his back and glowing purple. He moved his hand without moving his arm and seemed to make a pushing motion with his hand. She wondered why he did that, but then her attention focused on the front entrance.

The ball fell onto the red spot marking the number fourteen. The other patrons grumbled as Morgan collected all of their grils, plus a pile provided by the announcer that seemed to be double her bet.

"Sev… We've got company…" Lucina tapped Severa on the shoulder and pointed to the front entrance. The Cloaked Woman stood there, seemingly scanning over the crowds.

"Morgan! We're leaving!" Panic began to build in Severa's mind as she spoke to Morgan, then pointed to the Cloaked Woman.

"We're having negotiations with Grima! What's the harm in her bringing us to him?" She asked as she counted her piles of grils.

"You haven't been hit by her!" Severa could still feel the bruise on her cheek from where the Cloaked Woman had struck. "If you wanna stay here and get trapped, then keep hanging out with your butlers!" Severa threw her hands up in frustration and walked away with Lucina in tow. In her rage towards her sister and her laziness, Severa found a sense of boldness that now filled her veins while she marched towards the Cloaked Woman.

"Severa! Control yourself!" Lucina grabbed her by the arm and tried to pull her back. The Cloaked Woman watched them approach with an eerie silence.

"You!" Severa pointed her finger directly at the Cloaked Woman then folded her arms. "I'm not…" Her mouth locked up. All she had to say was 'I am not afraid of you.' Why could she not utter it?

The Cloaked Woman stared down at her and folded her arms like a disapproving parent. She put one foot forward, making Severa jump and scurry away in fear. "Nevermindimnotreallyinthemoodtodie!" Severa spoke in rushed breaths as she grabbed Lucina and ran away towards another exit. She ran for gods knew how long, past all the tables and the large roulette wheel before she panted for breath with Lucina at her side.

"What was the point of that?" Lucina asked as she glared at Severa.

"I… I don't know…" Severa looked out to the crowd of content gamblers, all of which were probably unafraid of losing their money.

She wished she couldn't be tied down by fear.

* * *

Outside of the gambling hall stood a rather perturbed young man who had just been swindled out of half of his grils and dumped by a maiden wearing a rabbit suit.

"Luck of a black cat…" Inigo mocked her words in a shrill voice as he adjusted his sunglasses. "I'll show her." He began to walk down the hallway outside the gambling hall. "I'm done getting manipulated by temptresses."

**The sound of a soothing voice accompanied by a piano broke through his quiet mumbling and made his ears perk up. The sounds echoed from down the hallway. Without sparing a second thought, Inigo strode down the hallway as though his legs had a mind of its own.

A large sign hung above the room that the song resonated out of. Next to the entrance were various posters, depicting the outline of a girl kneeling in prayer underneath Grima's head.

'Come see Layla, the singing lily of Ylisse!' The poster read. Inigo presumed this was a theater, judging by the sign and the lack of light inside the room as Inigo opened the door. He stumbled around in the dark while his eyes adjusted; he placed his hand on a guardrail to guide him. The entrance led down into the theater, with chairs at the sides of the pathways to the stage. A large crowd was seated to watch a girl sing while she danced.

Inigo could hardly see her from the chair he sat in, considering he was in the back row, but he could still hear her voice accompanied by the band playing behind her. She sang something about how noble Grima was and how they wished him glory every day.

Her dance continued for a while; she spiraled around the stage and did several splits during it. By the end, she performed a pirouette in sync with the pianist sliding his fingers along the keys in rising order. By the sharpest note, she sat in a praying position while the symbol of the Grimleal hung above her.

The audience stood up and delivered thunderous applause, yet the spotlights remained on the wooden stage as a man walked on.

"Wasn't that lovely?" His shrill voice shattered the tranquility of the theater. Inigo heard the people next to him mutter something about the Jaws of Grima. "However, I'm happy to announce that the show isn't quite over yet. We have one last event planned. Layla, would you care to announce it?"

"Yes, oh Excellus; the Jaws of Grima." Layla bowed before the man then turned to the audience. "These days, I find myself rather lonely… Just this night, one lucky man in the audience gets to share dinner with me! Is there anyone here who wishes to share a meal?"

The crowd ooo'd and aaa'd as Layla pointed her finger at the rising crowd and dragged it along as though she was painting with an easel. Inigo had to cover his ears from the screams of 'pick me!' and 'Layla I love you!'

"Aaaaaaaand… There!" Layla brought her finger to a boy sitting in the back. "The man in the seventeenth row with the absurdly-fashionable sunglasses! The one covering his ears!"

Inigo gripped the hand rests on his chair as he began to rise in the air. His chair levitated off the ground and was brought towards the stage at a blisteringly-fast speed. He screamed; he could tell he was going to collide with the stage. He shut his eyes out of fear and opened them moments later to reveal his chair had stopped right before impact.

Now, he sat on the stage looking like a spooked animal. "Oh, dear me… Excellus, you need to be more gentle with your magic." Layla stood before Inigo and smiled; he focused his panicked eyes on her and remembered her as the pink-haired girl from the sunglasses shop, now wearing the same white dancing uniform of his mother. The crowd laughed at her joke as Inigo tried to steady his breathing.

"Yes, yes. I'll keep that in mind next time." Excellus bowed for the crowd and walked away. The curtains from the side of the stage slid along, concealing the crowd from Inigo's view.

"Hello." Layla tapped him on the shoulder; he turned his gaze and saw her leaning over him with an inviting gaze. "I believe we've already met." Inigo tried to reply but couldn't find the breath while he panted. "No need to respond, save your breath."

She took his hand and held it in her own. "Why don't we retire to my room?"


	32. S Act II: In Search of Victory Part V

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section A

In Search of Victory

Part V

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Underground (Super Mario Bros.) - Edit (Extended Medley)_ from _Super Mario Maker_ when you see one * mark, and _Aquatic Ambience Returns_ from _Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

Lucina walked down the hallways of the Grimaret at Severa's side; the shoulders of her friend were as tensed as her brow.

"Is everything alright?" Lucina asked. She looked to her left to see the entrance to the gambling hall, again. They had walked in a circle.

"She's such a gods-damned brat…" Severa mumbled. "My sister's an idiot, we're lost in a tower owned by an insane god, and-" She was interrupted by the rumbling of her stomach. "I'm hungry. So no, I am not alright."

"I don't need your bad attitude." Lucina folded her arms. As did Severa.

"And I don't need y-" She cut herself off before she could finish her insult. She couldn't insult Lucina like that. "Do you see a map anywhere?" She asked after collecting her thoughts.

"No." Lucina sighed as she scanned the walls of the hallway and found nothing. Her eyes settled on a woman wearing a suit much like the guides at the entrance to Ylisstol. "Excuse me, miss!" Lucina raised her arm and walked towards the woman, who turned to face Lucina. "Do you work here?"

"Yes. Do you need something?" She asked as she placed her fist to her chest in a salute.

"Do you know how we can get to the floors above? We can't seem to find any staircases." Lucina asked as Severa stood at her side.

"You won't need a staircase. Follow me." The woman beckoned to the two with her hand as she walked down the hall, then stopped at an iron door that had several buttons next to it. "Which floor would you like to go to?" She asked, and Lucina's stomach growled in response.

"Do you know any floor that has a good restaurant?" Lucina asked as she looked at Severa's pained expression. They hadn't eaten since… she couldn't remember when.

"You'll want the fifth floor, then." The woman brought her finger to the buttons, of which there were fifteen arranged vertically. The bottom-most one was alight and shining as she pressed the fifth one.

The door slid open a moment later, surprising Severa and Lucina. The woman stepped inside and motioned for them to follow. They followed her into the tiny room and panicked as the door shut five seconds later. The walls were lined with various advertisements of the Grimaret, including a restaurant modeled after a cave on the fifth floor.

The floor began to lurch; Severa gripped the nearby handrails as the room began to move up. Lucina grabbed her hand for support.

"What the hell?" She panicked, along with Lucina, and looked to the woman for an explanation. "Is this thing going up on its own?"

"It's an elevator. They move up and down the Grimaret, and we power them with wind magic." The woman replied as Severa's shoulders loosened.

"Huh…" Lucina pulled her hand away, much to Severa's discontent. After a short while, the door opened, but the hallway they had entered from was gone. In its place was a large plaza, lined with shops and restaurants.

"Welcome to the commercial district." The woman spoke as Severa and Lucina left the elevator. "Enjoy your stay!" She smiled as the doors to the elevator shut with her still inside it. The shaft that the elevator traveled in was made of glass, allowing Severa to see that they were indeed moving up and down with the power of a green crystal affixed to their underside. Another shaft was at its side, presumably to ensure there were enough elevators for the many residents of the Grimaret.

The plaza of the commercial district was bustling; Severa could only see a mob of people around the central fountain. Happy, happy people who didn't seem to care that this tower was built by the god who ruined the world.

"We should probably grab a bite to eat." Severa walked towards a nearby map, identical to the one in the park. She used the map to identify where a restaurant might be. "Grima's Grotto…" Might it be the same restaurant modeled after a cave she had seen in the elevator?

"Why would we want to eat in a grotto?" Lucina's mind drifted back to the cave she had taken shelter in during the forest fire.

"It's not an actual cave. It's a model or something. Come on." Severa motioned for her to follow as they walked past the crowds. Even though the night sky could be seen from a massive glass ceiling, the interior of the shopping plaza was lit by artificial lights as though it was mid-day.

Lucina could barely focus on the light; she only paid enough attention to follow Severa. Instead, she spent the remainder of her energy repeating a question.

Did anyone here know her? This was the kingdom that belonged to her father, yet no one who lived here knew him, judging by their mundane reactions to seeing his children.

If she was being honest, it felt rather relieving to be normal. To have no one judging you. Was this how Severa felt? Maybe not, judging by Severa's hesitation to put on a dress out of shame.

More and more people brushed by her shoulders as she continued to follow Severa. She would have to ask her about that later.

*The entrance of Grima's Grotto was indeed modeled after a cave, with a rocky outcrop jutting from the walls of the plaza. Purple crystals were arranged to spell out the name of the restaurant, and even more crystals could be seen from the darkness inside.

What was more interesting was the attendant standing outside at a counter. A man with purple skin, a mask, and glowing blue eyes that peered from his mask.

"Hello… Welcome to Grima's Grotto…" The risen man waved to Severa and Lucina, who tensed up just from the sight of him. "Will you be dining with us tonight?" His rasp sounded just like every other risen who had spoken before attacking them. Why wasn't this one? Why did this one work at a restaurant?

"...Yes." Severa answered.

"Please… follow me…" The risen stepped out from the counter and walked into the restaurant with his hands at his side. They followed him into the dark cavern, past the tables shaped like rocks and the bar made of glowing crystals.

What dumbfounded Severa and Lucina was that the various patrons of the restaurant were risen. Some tables had a group of risen eating and laughing as though they were human. Some tables were full of regular people, who were also having a good time. A good number of the tables were a mix of risen and human, and Severa even noticed one young man sitting at the bar and passionately kissing a risen.

In the dim glow of the cavern, the blue eyes of the risen stuck out like a sore thumb. "Your table… is right here…" He pointed to a table made out of rocks with a polished top adorned with a mat. Right next to them was one of those dim, purple crystals that gave off a faint glow.

The risen left two menus for them as they sat down. Severa slumped down in her chair and looked at Lucina.

"You… You saw the risen, right?" She asked for confirmation.

"Yes." Lucina quickly looked through the menu. She had never seen such a large selection of food. Steak, sandwiches, salads, pies, cakes, everything she could dream of was on here.

A short silence followed before a different risen walked up to them.

"Hello… My name is Harold… I'll be serving you today…" He spoke with a rasp while wearing a suit. "How are you doing on this evening?" He wore a pointed hat like other revenants.

"G-good… You?" Severa asked, but her mind went back to her childhood. To the one risen behind the waterfall that almost killed her and Lucina. To the risen that killed the parents of her friends and her own mother as well.

"I'm doing… adequate… My shift is almost done, and I need to get back to my wife…" He replied.

"You have a wife?" Lucina pressed as she leaned forward. Severa noted how the purple light bounced off her hair.

"Love of my life... Or unlife, if you will…" The risen laughed to himself in a wheeze. Severa mildly chuckled, out of fear and of decency. "What will you have to drink?"

"What's this, uh… Grimleal Gulp? What's that?" Severa asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry… That's only for our risen customers… We use our secret ingredient to make a drink... that only a risen digestive system can handle… We once let a human drink it, and she was hurling in the restroom for twelve hours afterward…"

"In that case, I'll just have water please." Lucina smiled at the risen.

"I'll take a root beer," Severa spoke. "Please." The waiter walked away, leaving Severa and Lucina to sit in silence until he returned. It's not that they had nothing to say, they were just so tired that they wanted to rest for a spell until the waiter returned.

"Here are your drinks…" He gently set down a plate for the girls and handed them their drinks. "Do you know what you want to eat?"

"I'll have a steak, please," Severa spoke as she handed him her menu. "Well-done."

"And you?" The waiter turned to Lucina; his blue eyes stared down at her.

"I'll just take a salad, please." Lucina handed him her menu as well but asked another question before he could go away. "Excuse me, um… Apologies if this offends you, but why are you not attacking us?"

"I beg your pardon?" The waiter cocked his head to the side.

"Well, it's just…" Lucina had to choose her words carefully; one wrong move could end with her being mauled by a pack of offended risen. "All the risen we've met so far have been very, very…"

"Murder-y." Severa finished her sentence for her.

"Ferals…" The waiter mumbled.

"I beg your pardon?" Lucina held a hand to her ear.

"We risen are created by these masks… which carry bugs… These Thantophages give us life…" He spoke. "But… a little-known fact is that there are two species of these bugs… One is territorial, like a honeybee… Passive, unless provoked, like you humans… The other, as you've seen, are more like wasps… They are known as Feral, because of their feral nature… They attack anything in sight, but can still speak..."

"So all the risen we've seen so far have been Feral?" Severa asked.

"Red eyes means feral, so take that as a frame of reference…" The waiter walked off, leaving Severa and Lucina to ponder this newfound knowledge.

"Huh…" Severa slumped back in her chair as she looked around at the other patrons. For a bunch of walking corpses, they seemed to have better table manners than those that were living.

"So this entire time, we've been slaughtering the risen equivalent of bandits…" Lucina took a sip of her water for her parched throat.

"The same risen bandits that killed our parents" Severa leaned forward. She felt a sickness in her gut for assuming these risen would attack her.

At the same time, all she had to go on was previous experiences. These risen probably judged her based on the bandits that would raze them. She eventually settled on the idea that everyone was distrustful of everyone before turning her thoughts to somewhere more pleasant. "I wonder what that secret ingredient is…" All she could focus on was Lucina, and her beautiful hair, and her exquisite featu-

She paused. " _This isn't normal. Stop._ "

The sound of a cello chord cut through the awkward pause. Severa turned to see a band of risen playing various instruments, including a trumpet, some drums, a cello, and some brass instrument that resembled a horn.

Sweet, soothing music echoed from the band and reverberated around the walls of the cavern and into Severa's ears. All Severa could do was wait patiently in silence as she stared at her friend. Her best friend, nothing more and nothing less.

* * *

A rush of heat blew past Layla's face as she opened the door to her oven, revealing a brown slab of cooked mutton. With oven mitts covering her hands, she brought the mutton out of her oven and placed it on the fire-proofed counter in her kitchen.

"You sure you don't need my help?" Inigo asked from the next room over.

"I'll be out in just a moment!" She replied, turning her gaze to the bottle of poison on her counter. The skull and crossbones on the bottle did little to hide the subterfuge that she was poisoning the mutton; allowing him entry to the room would be similar to telling a punchline before a joke.

She used her knife to split the mutton into two even pieces, then drizzled a thick coating of poison over one half. She didn't want to kill the boy directly; she was too nice for that.

That was something she would have to get over in her career.

After hiding the bottle in a locked cabinet, she returned to the main room of her apartment, which contained a table and a bed in the small space. She set the mutton down on the table. Inigo eyed it like a wolf staring at a fresh kill. " _On goes the mask_." She thought before memorizing how to smile.

"Gods, that looks good…" Layla wasn't sure if he was drooling or not; he certainly looked the part.

"Alright, here's your half." She took the poisoned meat and set it on a plate, then passed it to him. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go to the restroom." She quickly departed for her bathroom and shut the door behind her. In the cozy embrace of the room, she found the necessary solitude that let her cope with what she was doing.

Any minute now she would hear the sounds of him choking, followed by a thump. Then she'd come out and dispose of the body. Simple stuff that even a fool like herself could do.

Silence continued. Woefully unfulfilling silence that made her heartbeat climb. She emerged from the restroom to see that the boy had not eaten any of his mutton.

"I was taught to wait for others before eating." Inigo smiled at her as she emerged. She smiled back out of puzzlement.

None of her other marks had manners like that. Who was this boy?

"Oh… Thank you." Layla sat down on her chair and began to cut off a piece of her mutton. "May I ask your name?"

"Inigo Gana, son of Chrom." Inigo watched as she dropped her piece of mutton on her plate.

"C-Chrom? _The_ Chrom? From the museum?" Layla gulped. There was no way…

"There's a museum? About who?" Inigo asked as he brought his fork to a slab of his mutton.

"Old history, really. My mother brings me there in-between dance practice." She was telling the truth, Aversa did bring her to the museum to showcase the history of the land. Of particular interest to her was the previous Exalt of Ylisse, the most recent in the Hero King's bloodline. What kind of a man was he, she often wondered.

Apparently, she had been hired to kill his son. "Do you… do you have the brand?" Her mask was starting to crack. She could feel it.

"Yes." Inigo stood up and walked to her side of the table. She stood up as well and saw he was pointing to his right eye. She leaned in close to get a better look, but not without wincing in anticipation for him to try and sneak a kiss in. All men were like that, or so she thought. Eager to show their love with passion, consent be damned.

Two things were revealed. One was this boy did possess the brand in his right eye. The other was that he had no intentions of sneaking a kiss in. They simply sat back down in their seats and smiled.

"Wow… When I woke up this morning, I never thought I'd be dining with royalty…" Layla looked at the mutton. A sense of dread began to build in her gut. " _Or killing them_ …"

She couldn't do it. This boy was too important and naive to die. He mattered in the grand scheme of the world; she did not. "Um, I just realized the mutton might be a little underdone."

"I've had worse." Inigo joked as he brought the forkful to his mouth. Layla's brow was drenched with sweat.

"Please, wait! You don't want to get food poisoning now, do you?" She asked as she stood up and held his hand. As she wrestled the fork out of his grasp, she felt… something from the touch of his hand. Something that wasn't there from when she took his hand on stage. She could only describe as a tingling sensation. An informal, unprofessional sensation. "Allow me to taste test it." Her mask was now a broken prop on the floor.

"You sure?" Inigo asked. He had also felt the tingling sensation in his hands.

"If I'm offering you hospitality, the least I can do is make sure you don't get sick from my negligence." With a heavy sigh, Layla put the chunk of meat in her mouth and chewed it. After swallowing, she sat down on her bed.

Some would say there was no worse feeling than walking in on your significant other sleeping with someone other than you. Layla would argue that knowingly ingesting poison and waiting for it to kick in was worse. The sense of dread in her gut was only matched in pain by her blurring vision.

"Is something…" Inigo noticed that her eyes widened while she sat on the bed. No sooner did he ask his question then did Layla fall over, shivering and unconscious. Inigo hurriedly got to his feet and rushed to her side. He placed a hand on her head and felt her temperature, which was sweltering. " _Fever…_ " Inigo was left to ponder just what the hell was in that mutton, but he had little time for that.

Panic gripped Inigo's heart and mind as he lifted Layla into his arms and exited the room. He walked into the hallway outside and began to call out. "Help! Is there a cleric near? Help!"

All that replied was the shiverings of Layla and Inigo's rushed breaths as he hurried to the elevator. She pressed her head against his chest and exhaled. Slowly, like a hound in its death throes.

Inigo rushed into the elevator and hit the button for the fifth floor. The door shut soon after, leaving him to hold Layla in silence. " _Everything's gonna be fine… Everything's gonna be fine…_ "

* * *

After a lovely steak dinner and a pie for dessert, Severa had paid for the bill and even tipped the waiter before leaving the grotto with Lucina in tow. Before they could go back to the elevator, they noticed a spa advertised on the map. The plaza of the commercial district had started to wind down, but there were still a good number of people wandering around.

By the time they had found the spa and paid for a session, Severa and Lucina had both decided that it was better to live in the moment than rush towards a meeting with a god, despite their arguments with Morgan.

And so, after receiving a tour on the history of massage techniques employed by the Grimleal, and something about an incense they used that dulls the senses, Severa and Lucina had split up to go in their separate spa rooms. After changing into a towel, Severa was herded into a small room that contained a sink and a bathtub. The tub leaned against the window that displayed the beautiful night sky and the night lights of Ylisstol.

**Severa set her foot in the water, feeling the temperature before lowering her body into the soothing embrace of the tub. Her shoulders loosened within mere moments of allowing the warm water to splash over her. She looked at the sink to see a jar of purple incense emitting a fog around the room.

Those clerks were not jesting when they said it dulls the senses, as Severa could barely keep her eyes open as the fog filled the room. Was this a trap? Probably. She couldn't care enough to ponder that.

Her mind drifted, to various times and places. She could feel her aches and pains melt off with the water and drift into the hole at the end of the tub. From when she fell down a cliff, to her heartache over losing her mother, and her sores from the Cloaked Woman's strikes. In a flash, they were all gone, leaving a girl with white hair sitting in a bathtub.

Her vision continued to blur; by now the room was a blur of shapes and colors that melted and bent like the water. The mirror above the counter now showed a girl with white hair and red eyes sitting in a tub.

The door creaked open as she slumped her head against a water-proof pillow. Her hair was now wet and drifting in the water like tendrils. A hand emerged from her left, then another. She looked to see something… something familiar that she had never thought to see again.

Barely visible through the thick coating of mist that clouded her vision was her mother. She couldn't see her face, but she could certainly make out the outline of a white dress and long, red hair.

Severa motioned to exit the tub before her mother placed her hands on her shoulders, gently keeping her in place. Was this real? What the hell was going on?

Her mother brought her soft, warm hand to Severa's cheek, to the place where the Cloaked Woman had struck her. She brought her head in close and placed a kiss on it, dulling the pain and making Severa smile.

While her mother ran her shampoo-covered hands through Severa's hair, her thoughts again drifted down the river of time. To when she was a child and learned to swim at the beach. To when her father would read her stories.

Now, more than ever, Severa wanted to turn back the gears of time. To be a kid again. To be without worry again.

To be with her parents again.

"Lucina!" Inigo's voice shattered her tranquility, muffled yet still heard. "Severa! Morgan! Anyone! Help!" Inigo needed her. Her friends needed her.

Severa moved to get up, again, and was pushed down, again, by her mother. On second thought, Severa decided that Lucina could handle it.

As her mother massaged her aching shoulders and patted her head, Severa decided this was _her_ time, not Inigo's.

* * *

After a blissful spa session, Lucina found herself sitting in the waiting room of the spa. The hustle and bustle of the commercial district had died down outside while she waited for Severa. Her joints felt limber, her face felt brighter, and her mood felt lifted. She would have to recommend this place to Inigo and Morgan.

"Lucina!" Inigo's voice rocked her awake. "Severa! Morgan! Anyone! Help!" Lucina quickly got to her feet and saw Inigo hurriedly rushing around the courtyard.

"Over here!" She called out to catch Inigo's attention. As he drew closer, she could see that he was carrying an unconscious girl with pink hair. "What happened?"

"She passed out and she's burning up!" Inigo spoke in a flustered manner. She had never seen her brother this upset, save for when their mother was kidnapped.

"Okay, breathe. Deep breaths. We're going to take her to a hospital and get her healed, okay?" Lucina placed a hand on his shoulder. His breathing slowed, then he was lead to the spa resort.

Lucina waved her hands to catch the attention of the clerk, who sat behind a white desk and against a white wall. "Excuse me, miss! Is there an infirmary nearby?"

"Five doors to the left." She noticed the girl with pink hair and grew a worried look.

"Thank you! Please tell my friend where we went when she's done!" Lucina spoke as she rushed out with Inigo at her side.


	33. S Act II: In Search of Victory Part VI

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section A

In Search of Victory

Part VI

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Jambastion Adventure_ from _Kirby Star Allies_ when you see one * mark, and _Night Battle Theme A_ from _Sonic Unleashed_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

The clerk's news that Lucina had gone on without her did not startle Severa. She sort of expected that, if she was being honest.

It wasn't the fact that she was alone in an unfamiliar building that startled Severa.

The sight of the Cloaked Woman walking into Grima's Grotto, however, was enough to startle Severa and pique her interest.

With a heavy sigh, Severa walked through the commercial plaza, past the risen and humans seemingly co-existing in peace. Either the risen had crawled out of the woodwork in the dead of night, or Severa had not noticed them before.

"Hello there, Hand of Grima." The waiter standing in front of the grotto spoke to the Cloaked Woman. Severa stood a good distance back, camouflaged in the foliage of the crowd like a rabbit avoiding a wolf. "Your husband is waiting for you inside." He pointed to the darkness inside the Grotto; she turned her head to follow his gaze.

After waiting a minute to follow her inside, Severa entered Grima's Grotto behind a large party of humans and risen. She didn't say a word as she followed them, instead electing to search the dark cavern for that damned woman. She eventually found her, sitting at the bar next to Grima.

He looked rather normal as he slumped over the luminescent bar. Considering he was the god of this town, Severa expected him to be mobbed by fanatics. She continued to inspect the two while she leaned next to a rocky pillar.

"Excuse me… miss?" A human waiter walked up and spoke to her. "Do you need something?"

"Oh, uh… I'm just waiting for my... parents." Severa pointed to Grima and the Cloaked Woman.

"I see. Do you want to sit down?"

"No thank you." She smiled at the waiter, who walked away. Her focus turned back to Grima and his lackey, who were now huddled together like young lovers unaware that they didn't have to broadcast their love.

The Cloaked Woman rested her head on his shoulder and held it there for what felt like an eternity. All the while, Grima was drinking some purple liquid out of a glass. They seemed to be discussing something, but Severa could not hear it. What were they discussing? Plans to trick her friends into giving them the Fire Emblem, no doubt. She needed to lean in close.

"So, do you think Lucina brought the Emblem?" Grima's voice and deep tone became distinct as Severa drew as close as she could without causing suspicion. The Cloaked Woman nodded in response. "Tomorrow, we need to take it from her. It's too dangerous to be left in her hands, along with those gemstones. Once we offer her and her friends a place to stay, she'll see the truth in our fear."

Why was Grima afraid of the Emblem? Was he really going to offer a truce between the Herdsmen and the Grimleal? Severa didn't have time to ponder these questions, as the Cloaked Woman began to move.

With little warning, the Cloaked Woman pushed her stool back and stood up. Grima stood up as well, then turned to face the pillar Severa had stood at. She quickly retreated behind the column and felt her heartbeat climb as she pressed her body to it.

"Come, there's a simulated hot spring waiting for us." Grima's voice could be heard through the pillar.

A minute passed. Severa looked to her left to see Grima waving to the clerk at the front of the grotto and leaving with the Cloaked Woman's arms around his own. They seemed to be heading to the spa, judging by their direction. In the meanwhile, Severa's gaze turned to the door of the grotto marked with an 'Employee's only' sign. A waiter emerged from the door, carrying a tray of nothing but that Grimleal Gulp.

An idea began to form in Severa's mind. What was that secret ingredient that allowed Grima and risen to drink the beverage? Was it blood? The souls of the innocent? A newborn child? Why else would they hide it?

If she could find the ingredient, she could shock these people out of their trance and stage a revolution against Grima. They could complete the Emblem, seal Grima out of her father, and win the day. She would be negotiating like she had planned, only on _their_ terms, not Grima's.

Her mind was made up as she snuck into the employee's section while all eyes were not on her.

*" _Lucy's gonna be so proud…_ " Severa smirked to herself as she shut the door behind her. This unseen portion of the restaurant dropped the cavern motif in favor of a more grey, iron tone that made the section look like a dungeon. The hallway split off to the right and left, with waiters walking in both directions while carrying plates.

If she was to attempt a sneaking infiltration without a disguise, she would be as obvious as the dark blemishes and stains on the wall. Her focus turned to a nearby room that she tiptoed to, hoping it would have something for her.

Luck smiled on her, as the room was a changing room full of lockers and showers. A spare uniform was slung over the shower curtain, which she quickly adorned over her regular attire. She then turned to a mirror and noticed that she looked rather good in a suit.

A risen walked into the room, grumbled 'hello' to her, then brushed past her to reach the shower. Her disguise seemed to have worked. Wearing a smile on her face, she left the changing room and walked down the empty hallway.

An iron pipe hung on the ceiling of the split in the hallway. Severa turned her gaze up and walked to the right, following the pipe and not where she was going. She bumped into a risen wearing a chef hat that was knocked to the floor.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" The chef yelled as he picked up his hat.

"Sorry, I'm just new here is all! Do you know where they make the Grimleal Gulp?" She asked. Maybe he would know something.

"Just follow the pipes… Stupid girl..." He muttered what she assumed was a swear under his breath as he walked away. Severa sighed; apparently bad attitudes were not lost when one died. She continued to follow the pipes, only now keeping one eye on the space ahead. She dodged and weaved past all sorts of employees as she walked down the hall.

The smell of meat being cooked filled her nose as she entered what seemed to be a kitchen. A large, burly risen with black skin walked around, barking orders to the cooks.

"That steak is so undercooked that I can hear it mooing!" He screamed with a raspy voice. "And you!" He pointed to Severa. "What are you doing? Picking your nose? I don't pay you to stand around!"

"S-sorry sir I was ju-" She didn't know how to even begin to respond.

"Sorry doesn't cut it in the restaurant business, missy! Now take these orders and get back out there!" He quickly handed her a platter of food that she scrambled to hold. "And take my advice: unbutton your top a bit. You're not gonna get any tips dressing like a cleric!"

"Excuse me?" Severa's cheeks lit up as the manager pointed to her chest. "What did you just say?"

"I said flaunt what you've got!" He sighed and walked away, leaving Severa to stew in frustration as she held a platter.

"Sexist pig…" She muttered.

"Hmm?" The manager quickly turned around to stare at her with a hairy eyebrow.

"Nothing…" Severa scurried away with the platter in her hands. She noticed that the other female waiters, both human and risen, that were wearing the same uniform as her had the upper portions of their chest exposed. " _Is this a gambling hall or a restaurant?_ "

"Where is the lamb _sauce_?" The manager's voice echoed like a shriek out of the kitchen.

Once she had walked away from the kitchen out of the other entrance, she dropped the platter on a pile of crates and sprinted away when no one was looking. She continued down the hallways, searching for the end of these pipes.

Her answer was presented to her as she found a large room coated with a thick layer of steam. Beyond the fog, she could see a massive steel boiler implanted in the back wall. A fire crackled in a circular hole in the center that allowed said flame to build. The pipe from the ceiling led into the boiler, and more pipes led from the boiler into glass canisters full of purple juice. The whole machine looked like a tree made of iron, with the branches spreading out in every which way through the ceiling.

This must be where the Grimleal Gulp is made. The only problem was that Severa didn't care _where_ it was made. She wanted to know _how_ it was made. She must have followed the pipes in the wrong direction.

A short walk ensued towards the northwestern hallway as Severa passed employees carrying various crates and trays. She couldn't even bother to pretend to smile at them; she was still fuming about that cretin of a manager. She continued to stomp in silence until she stumbled upon a rather imposing door.

The pipe above lead into the room, meaning what she wanted must be in here. She pushed it open without sparing a second thought, opening a room full of wooden crates. The pipe above branched out into a funnel hanging above the pile of crates, and barely a second passed before a rushing of wind caught Severa's attention.

The topmost crate of the pile was lifted from its position by the funnel and sucked inside. Severa looked to her right to see a smaller pile; crates that were yet to be stacked, she assumed. She pried open the top to reveal a peculiar sight.

Inside the crate was a large pile of purple, smoldering flakes. The very same flakes that Grima dropped from his scales. Was this the secret ingredient? Grima's dandruff?

She rubbed her hand along the flakes; their power coursed through her almost immediately. Her vision began to blur as she reached her hand deeper and deeper, absorbing more of the flakes. She tried to focus on Lucina; desperately she tried to make an image of her face in her mind.

Instead, all she could think of was that damned manager. Her hands crackled with raw energy as she pried open another crate, this time with more ease than before. She absorbed the flakes inside, smirking as a red glow formed underneath her eyes.

By the time one employee entered the open room out of suspicion, she found Severa kicking open the last crate atop a pile of broken wood and absorbing Grima's Scales.

"Hey! What are you doing?" She yelled as she tried to pull Severa off. Severa turned to face the employee with her red eyes and crazed stare. "That was a year's supply!"

"Shut up!" She grabbed the employee by the neck and lifted her above the ground. She threw her to the ground, then bent her knees. The employee looked up in dazed horror to see Severa leap into the funnel right as it began to suck up the shards of wood around her.

* * *

The worst part of Daniel's shift was sweeping the boiler room. For the longest time, he assumed that his boss purposely gave him the task just to spite him. The room was so damn massive that every sweep of his broom seemed to make more dust than what was there before.

However, as he stood there humming to himself and adjusting his mask with his free hand, he did not expect a whirring noise to sound from the boiler. Like a blade stuck in between two cogs, a foul noise sounded from inside the flaming container.

"Uh… Is anyone there? Something's going on…" Daniel looked around; the noise was growing louder and louder. More of his coworkers appeared to investigate.

"What's going on?" One person asked. A raging flame began to poke out of the hole. This fire was larger than normal and began to shift in coloration until it glowed purple.

**With a raging scream, Severa leaped out of the boiler as her suit burned to ash. If adrenaline wasn't pumping in her blood, she would wonder why she had not caught flame inside the boiler. Her regular attire underneath the disguise was fine as well, which she preferred to the alternative of having no clothing.

She leaped from the boiler to the ground, yelling as she got up and tackled a risen employee brandishing a broom at her. She knocked him to the floor in her rage and ripped the duster from his hands, then swung the end of it into the gut of an advancing woman.

She found herself flanked by two men advanced with fearful looks in their eyes. She sidestepped the punch of one man and grabbed his arm, then swung him into the other. They were both sent to the floor in a daze as Severa rolled her shoulders.

"Who's next?" She smirked; her hands were crackling with power that she had missed.

One waiter ran towards her from behind with a large plate. Before she could react, he smashed the plate down on her head and expected her to fall. Instead, she felt nothing as the plate shattered on her head and smiled with glee as she kicked the man in the leg and punched him in the chest.

The rest of the mob charged her, deciding that sending one combatant at a time was a foolish idea. Severa welcomed the challenge with open arms as she ducked underneath the left hook of one man, then kicked out a risen's legs from underneath with a sideswipe. She used her strength to leap back up into the air, then crashed down onto another risen knees-first. She quickly stood up, grabbed her fallen foe by the feet, then spun him around as a weapon. He knocked down at least six waiters before she lost her grip on his legs and sent him tumbling away.

Only one foe remained. A risen she recognized, who was now crying. "Harold?"

"P-please… Don't hurt me…" He covered his face as he wept above his dazed coworkers. "Why are you doing this?"

"I…" Severa opened her mouth to speak, but could not find an answer. She just assumed that beating up risen was a good thing; something that she had done with Lucina countless times. "I don't know…"

"Just… Just get out… Before you do any more damage…" He continued to sob as he pointed to the hallway she had first entered the boiler room from.

"I'm sorry…" Severa mumbled underneath her breath as she stepped over the piles of dazed, broken workers. She felt… bad. Not just for the humans but for the risen as well.

* * *

A rush of hot water sprang from the jets and hit Grima's back with the force of a rapid. He rested both hands inside the circular tub of hot water while Cordelia sat at his side. The Darksphere was still attached to her necklace in case he had another… episode. He hadn't the faintest idea how long he had sat in the spa with her; the only measure of time was the wrinkles forming on his fingers.

He looked at Cordelia's back to see her hair drifting in the water as it arched down the back of her swimsuit. He brought his right hand to Cordelia's shoulder and held it there, hovering above. Memories of Marla flashed in his mind, memories of dinner with her and the bliss of young love.

At the same time, Robin's memories began to flash through his brain, along with the sounds of him screaming from inside Grima's thoughts.

"Get away from her!" His voice spoke to Grima only. He didn't bother to respond as he placed his hand on Cordelia's shoulder.

Robin's tormented screams filled his ears as Cordelia rested her head on Grima's shoulder. Soon after, a new noise was heard in Grima's ears.

The sound of Severa screaming, combined with a plate shattering. He closed his eyes and suddenly he could see through hers. Watching as she ducked underneath the punch of a man and replied with a sideswipe.

" _Of course she ascends right when I'm getting some rest_." Grima sighed as he exited the hot tub, creating splashes of water and confused mannerisms from Cordelia. She held his hand and silently pleaded him to stay. "Sorry, dear, but the boiler of the grotto just exploded, and they need my help to fix it. Stay right here, and I'll be back soon with some scented candles."

Grima walked towards the grotto after drying off and adorning _his_ cloak. He was going to check on _his_ daughter, then return to _his_ loving wife.

* * *

The steam of the kitchen still drifted in the air as Severa stomped into it. Her brow furrowed as she glared at the manager, whose back was turned. In her rage, Severa grabbed the nearest weapon off the counter.

"Daniel, is that you? How in the seven hells did you finish sweeping already?" He turned around just in time to be hit across the face with a steak. He went down in a daze as Severa leaned over him. "Ow… That hurt…"

Severa couldn't even speak through her anger as she continued to smash the steak into the man's head, only pausing once he stopped verbally responding.

"Really? A steak?" That damned, insufferable voice of Grima haunted her ears. She quickly whipped around to see him standing in the doorway of the kitchen with that punchable smirk of his. "I've heard of improvised weaponry, but this is something else."

Severa lunged at him with a screaming strike and kept her eyes focused on him as she sailed through the air. She swung her fist towards his face with all the strength she could muster; her blow collided with an immensely satisfying thud.

Rather than recoil backward five feet, Grima simply took the punch in stride. His head didn't even move as he glared. Severa punched again, only for him to catch her fist with his own mid-strike.

He grabbed her other hand and ensnared both with his unbreakable grip. She could feel the energy from his scales leave her body through her fingertips.

"What the… Stop it! What are you doing?"

"Calming you down." The mark from where she struck was imprinted on his face, yet he seemed undeterred. "Rowdy teenagers are the worst, especially those with delusions of grandeur."

And just like that, her power was gone, leaving her perfectly normal and afraid as Grima let go of her hands, only to grab her by the shoulder like a disapproving parent.

"Let. Me. Go!" She struggled against his iron grip as he lead her out of the kitchen and down the hall.

"I'm very disappointed in you, young lady." He kept his eyes focused on the exit ahead. "You're grounded."

"You can't ground me!" She struggled again as she was lead into the restaurant portion of the building. All around her was the judgemental stares of confused people wondering what was holding their meals up.

"Sorry, my daughter here got into a fight with the staff." He waved to the patrons of the restaurant, who saluted him as he walked by. Severa continued to squirm and struggle as she swung her free fists into Grima's side but to no effect. She felt as though a weight was placed on her shoulder, both by Grima's hand and the stares of the people judging her. "Your cheeks are rather bright." He noticed as they walked through the plaza of the commercial district.

"Shut up!" She covered her face with her hands. Grima sighed as they continued through the plaza to the elevator.

Grima opened his mouth as though he wished to speak, but only empty air escaped his lips. Severa looked into his red eyes as pressed the button for the elevator. She could see… something in them. She wasn't sure what that look was, but she remembered seeing it in the eyes of her mother on the night of her graduation.

Severa brought her hands to her side as she waited with him for the elevator. An idea began to form in her thoughts as the door opened. Grima brought her inside and pressed the button for the top floor.

" _Three._ " The doors of the elevator remained open. " _Two… One!_ " The doors of the elevator began to shut as Severa swung her elbow into Grima's groin.

Grima screamed as he knelt over in pain. Severa slipped in between the closing doors that shut behind her.

"Curse this frail body!" His voice cracked and was audible through the door as the elevator rose up.

Severa took a deep breath and a chance to collect herself.

"Hospital…" She muttered as she set back out into the plaza, gasping for breath and tired.

By the time she had gathered directions from multiple passerby who asked if she was okay, Severa had pinpointed where the hospital was and soon entered it. She found Inigo and Lucina sitting next to a bed in the sterile, white room. The bedw held a sleeping girl with pink hair. Severa opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by a different voice.

"There you guys are!" The shrill voice of her sister assaulted her eardrums as she hugged Severa from behind. "I've been looking all over for-" She stopped when she noticed her sister was covering her ears.

"Severa, what happened to you?" Lucina asked with a concerned look as she pointed to a mirror. Severa gazed to the reflective window to see her hair was frazzled, her clothing was covered with ash, and she had bags underneath her eyes.

"Too much to… explain…" She dusted herself off, climbed onto an adjacent bed, and rested her head on the soft, fluffy pillow. She wondered when was the last time she slept. "I'll see you all… tomorrow…"


	34. S Act II: In Search of Victory Part VII

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section A

In Search of Victory

Part VII

Author's note: I recommend listening to listening to _Skyscraper Scamper Day_ from _Sonic Unleashed_ when you see one * mark, _Trophy Gallery_ from _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_ when you see two ** marks, and resuming _Skyscraper Scamper Day_ when you see another * mark

* * *

"Severa… Severa, you need to wake up…"

Severa groaned in response as her eyes slowly fluttered open. The only thing visible in the darkness around her was the faint outline of Lucina's head leaning above her.

"Wha-... What time are we?" Severa groaned back as she ran her hands along the blanket covering her.

"It's midnight. You slept for six hours. We're still in the hospital." Lucina whispered as she leaned back. Severa propped herself up against the backboard of the bed.

"And you didn't wake me up?" Severa continued to focus on her friend's face instead of the darkness.

"I tried but you never stirred. Morgan almost jumped on the bed before we restrained her."

"Greetings, Lord Grima." A female voice sounded from outside. Lucina gulped in suspense and without saying a word, dove to the floor and rolled underneath the bed. Severa laid on her side and shut her eyes as her heartbeat climbed.

The only thing she could sense other than the darkness of her eyelids was a door opening followed by footsteps. The steps grew closer and closer until they stopped.

"Hello, Severa." Grima's voice hung above Severa. "I…" He sounded full of regret. "Even if you're not awake, I hope you can hear me. I'm sorry for embarrassing you yesterday."

Severa continued to shut her eyes. She could feel his hand hovering over her side just from the frigid air. "I didn't think you would mind being teased, but I guess I don't know everything about you."

Lucina hugged the floor with all her strength to prevent herself from attacking Grima in her anger. Here stood this… this thing… talking as though it was a troubled parent. "I want to know more about you, however. I want to spend more time with you because I care about you."

Never in a thousand years did Grima believe he would be in a situation like this. "I know all of this has been hard for you, but it doesn't have to be. You don't have to be alone. We can make this work."

Severa gritted her teeth. "I'm willing to try, for our family. Are you?" Her fists clenched.

The frigid air disappeared as Grima's presence loomed over her. With a heavy breath, Severa drew her blanket away and sat upright. She saw Grima sitting on the bed adjacent to her; his eyes lit up as he noticed her.

"You've killed millions," Severa growled with a glare. "And you expect me to just ignore that so you can feel something?"

"Severa, I-"

"Get out." Severa pointed to the door. "Now." Grima scowled as he stood up and moved to the door. Severa could feel her heart beating out of her chest as she balled up her fists

"Please, just reconsid-"

"Shut up, you...!" Severa screamed as she threw away her blanket, sprinted towards Grima, and delivered a strike to his jaw. "Stupid!" She struck again at his nose, yet he did not recoil. "Arrogant!" He took another blow with a defeated stare. "Pompous!"

Severa brought her fist back, then delivered one final blow to his head. "MONSTER!" She panted for breath as she slumped to her knees and felt her eyes water. Grima continued to stand over her.

A minute passed. Grima opened the door and slowly walked out, leaving Severa on her knees and sobbing.

"What happened in there?" The female voice asked from the next room over. She awaited a response and found one after a short pause.

"Contact the guards. My daughter isn't thinking straight and needs to be brought to my office." Grima replied. Only Lucina, who had emerged from her hiding place, could hear this. Severa could hear only her wails until she stood up and hugged Lucina.

"I miss her so much…" Severa mumbled into Lucina's shoulder.

"I know. I miss her as well." Lucina replied. No more words were exchanged as they remained in an embrace. Eventually, Severa broke the silence.

"We need to get out of here. Where's Inigo and Morgan?"

"Inigo's friend woke up an hour ago and they left with Morgan. We don't have enough time to find them." Lucina replied.

"I guess we'll have to go back on our own." Severa sighed. "The guards won't notice you, so you can just walk out the front door."

"What will you do?" Lucina noticed that Severa had dried her eyes and now prepared to push open the door.

*"I'll figure something out." Severa motioned for Lucina to hide behind a bed, then opened the door. Light burst into the room and made Severa adjust her eyes. She then noticed a wall of men and women wearing suits waiting for her in the lobby of the hospital. "Wow, talk about fancy escorts." Severa smiled as she stood before the wall of angry guards. They waited in anticipation for her to say a punchline.

What they didn't expect was for her to charge through the wall by kneeing one member in the gut and using his body as a springboard. The guards scrambled after her as she landed in the bustling plaza and sprinted into Grima's Grotto. She dodged and weaved past befuddled restaurant goers and leaped over the crystal bar inside the cavern.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" The bartender asked in shock as she shoved him to the side.

"Move!" Severa looked to the glass casing that contained rows upon rows of Grimleal Gulps. She opened the glass wall and grabbed one of the drinks, then chugged it down.

Although the taste made her skin crawl, she could feel the same power from Grima's flakes course through her. She continued to down drink after drink as confused screams echoed throughout the cave.

"Stop! You'll drink us out of business!" The bartender reached towards her, only to be thrown away by just her free hand.

With a wipe of her chin, she downed the last of gods knew how many drinks and walked through the bar with sheer force. The same wall of servants blocked the entrance to the Grotto and prevented civilians from exiting. They screamed in fear as they ran away from Severa, but she couldn't care.

She felt as free as a bird.

Severa grabbed one guard by the legs and lifted him up effortlessly, then hurled him towards his fellow guards. He knocked them down like a boulder smashing through smaller rocks.

Severa sprinted through the plaza; every step she took left an imprint on the floor. Her sight was focused on the elevator, crowded by people trying to escape her wrath.

"Coming through! Move it or lose it!" Severa shoved the screaming passerby aside as she pressed the button for the elevator. More guards crawled out of the woodwork in the commotion and encircled her.

"Stop! You violated the law!" One guard screamed.

"The law can kiss my ass!" Severa reached her hands into the marble floor and punched through the stone ground. She grabbed hold of a sizable chunk of the floor and lifted it above her head, then smashed it into the ground.

A sizeable dust cloud split from the shattered rock and covered the area. The guards coughed and held their hands up to shield their eyes. Severa, however, could see through the dust just fine as she went through the guards one-by-one.

She lunged like a viper at one guard with a punch, then leaped to the next with a right hook to the jaw. This flurry of punches and kicks continued, only seen as a collection of outlines to those in the dust. One guard swore that there were two clones of her adding to the mayhem.

After kicking a guard into another, Severa's eyes settled upon the last of the bunch. A woman cowering in fear amid the clouds of dust. Severa slowly walked up to her; the fear in her eyes was as obvious as the hole in the floor. With a single poke to the forehead from Severa, the guard fell backward and fainted.

A ding sounded through the area as the literal dust settled on the battlefield.

**Severa quickly turned around and entered the elevator, then stared at the panel of buttons. " _They're expecting me to escape through the bottom floor_ …" She mused as she pressed the topmost button; the fifteenth floor.

The doors to the elevator slowly shut as Severa fanned the dust out. She felt the room rise as she waited, but she still had energy to spare. She hopped in place and practiced throwing a few punches, in case she needed to fight more goons in her climb to the top.

The elevator suddenly stopped; Severa almost fell to the floor mid-jump from the lurch. " _Someone's after me… I need to be ready to strike before they can._ " Severa bent her knees and watched the door.

The doors slowly opened, allowing Severa to throw a punch at whoever was about to enter. She stopped, however, as she heard the familiar woman-like scream of Inigo. She noticed that Inigo was standing on the other side of the elevator doors with his eyes shut as Severa's fist hung right in front of his head.

"Good gods, Severa!" Inigo panted for breath as she brought her hand to her side. Inigo entered the elevator and hugged the wall farthest from her. "You almost killed me!"

"Sorry! I uh... You know how it is sometimes..." Severa folded her arms as Inigo pressed the button for the thirteenth floor.

"You've got some red... stuff on your face." Inigo panted before he eventually stood upright. "So why are you going to the fifteenth floor?"

The nearby mirror revealed that she was covered in dust and had the marking or four red eyes underneath her own.

"Lucina and I are leaving and going back to New Ylisstol, and we'll bring the rest of the Herdsmen with us to strike Grima."

"You really think a couple of angry teenagers is gonna win against a god?" Inigo sighed after speaking.

"It's better than nothing." Severa sighed as well. "I can't stay here anyway. Can you be my eyes and ears here?"

"How exactly will I get information to you?"

"I don't know. Just stay here like I assume you plan on doing." Severa reached into her pockets and pulled out a key. "Here. Room key."

"Thanks." Inigo took the key and saw the doors of the elevator open, revealing the hallway of the thirteenth floor. He stepped out and waved to Severa. "Good luck!"

The doors shut as Severa smiled, then patiently waited for the fifteenth floor.

*No sooner did the doors open again then did Severa notice the hallway swarming with guards. She quickly ducked underneath the strike of one who lunged at her, then dove between his feet. She slid against the carpeted floor and quickly scrambled back to her feet to find more guards standing between her and the staircase at the end of the hall.

"Stop her!" Each guard drew a metal shield and huddled together to form a phalanx that spanned the width of the hallway.

" _No way through or under… Unless…_ " Severa thought while she sprinted towards the phalanx. She looked up and saw that the ceiling of the hallway was three times the height of the tallest guard. She stopped, turned around to see a mob of guards chasing her, then planted her left foot on the wall. Without wasting a second, she stuck her right foot on the wall and remained there, standing parallel to the ground. " _Yes!_ "

The guards watched in dumb-founded awe as Severa ran up the side of the wall, then ran to the ceiling. Her ponytails fell down to the ground along with the dust on her shoulders. "Eat my dust, chumps!" She cackled at her pun as she ran past the light fixtures on the ceiling towards the staircase.

One guard fainted from the supernatural sight alone, and another coughed as they stood there in stunned silence with agape jaws.

Severa pulled herself through the doorway and into the staircase room. She looked below her to see gray, lifeless staircases reach into what should be the top of the Grimaret.

In her absence of thought, Severa jumped towards the middle to fall to the ceiling, only to fall flat on her butt back on the ground with a loud thud.

"Hey! She's back on the ground!" One guard spoke from behind; his voice echoed throughout the staircase.

Severa groaned as she got to her feet and began to run up the spiraling staircase. The thunderous footsteps of the guards behind her pounded in her ears. She gripped the handrail and continued up the stairs until she stood before a door that signified the end.

She opened the door and felt frigid winds wash over her along with the night sky. She stepped out onto the roof of the Grimaret and shivered as she looked at the stars above.

Bright lights caught her eye and forced her to shield her gaze. She turned behind to see the guards pouring out of the door onto the stone roof.

"Hold, young lady!" A feminine voice called out. The source of the bright lights was revealed to be a squad of pegasus knights holding lights. They were led by a woman atop a black pegasus who had ash-white hair. "I have no intention of harming you, but we will subdue you if necessary!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Severa replied back in a cocky tone as the woman sighed. She gave hand-signals to her knights, who all flew into a circle around the roof. Each knight pulled a large tube out from their backs and mounted it on their shoulders, aiming at Severa. "What, are you gonna blow bubbles at me?"

Severa was answered by a net flying out of one knight's tube and ensnaring her like a spider. Severa would've broken free from these ropes with relative ease, but instead, her arms were bound as she laid on the roof. The steel orbs connecting the ropes had the insignia of the Grimleal on them.

"Magically-infused ropes. Your father had them designed specifically for events like this." Aversa flew closer and closer as Severa struggled to break free from the net. She found the strength to stand up, but her hands were still tied while she glared at the woman. "How are you standing?"

"Because you're…" Severa tried to find a suitable insult, but 'shoddy craftsmanship' didn't roll off the tongue easily. "Shut up!" She grabbed one of the connectors and began to tear it open.

The shoddily-made ball cracked open like a walnut, poking a hole in the net and allowing her to step out of it. "This game of tag is too boring!" Rearing her hand back, Severa hurled the net at Aversa's pegasus, who narrowly avoided the constricting bundle of ropes. She then ran to the side of the skyscraper that was only covered by pegasus knights. "I'm outta here!"

With the deepest breath she had ever taken, Severa sprinted off the edge of the skyscraper. Her feet remained on the ground, which was now the side of the building. The night lights of the city loomed ahead of her as she sprinted down the side of the massive skyscraper.

"Seven hells!" Aversa exclaimed; this gods-damned child was now defying the laws of physics and running down the Grimaret, and they had no way to chase her lest they risk falling off their mounts to the ground below.

Winds lashed at Severa's face as she continued to run down the skyscraper. She positioned herself in between the windows and noticed that she was running fast enough to keep her hair out her face.

The tops of the buildings grew closer and closer; her heart was beating out of her chest. Was this how her mother felt whenever she flew on her pegasus?

She would have time to think about that later. Right now, the ground was her most pressing concern as it approached. Either she could jump off the Grimaret and onto the ground with a flip, or she could face-plant into solid stone while going at blisteringly fast speeds.

* * *

Lucina's 'escape' from the tower was rather anticlimactic, considering all she had to do was take an elevator down and walk through the front door. She had secretly hoped to battle at least _someone_ who wanted to stop her, like the clerk waving to her from inside the lobby.

"Look out abooooooooove!" Severa's voice echoed from somewhere. Lucina instinctively turned around, but she wasn't there.

" _Wait. Above_." Lucina slowly turned up to see a peculiar sight. Severa was running down the side of the _gods-damned_ Grimaret like a hyperactive spider. She dove out of the way as she watched Severa leap off of the Grimaret and aim her feet towards the ground. Her ears were covered with her hands; she knew exactly what was going to follo-

A loud crashing noise shook Lucina's hands off her ears, and she slowly got up to see Severa. The only problem was that Severa's lower torso was lodged into the ground. "Oh, gods!" Lucina panicked as she scrambled to Severa's side.

"Hang on, give me a second." Severa looked down to the ground and pressed her hands against the stone floor. She pushed against the rocks, cracking the floor and freeing her legs as she jumped out.

"How the- What the-" Lucina struggled to describe what she had just seen as Severa stood up. "Are you hurt?"

"Nope!" Severa smiled and stretched her legs. The flapping of pegasus wings caught their attention, and they looked around to see some flying riders closing in. "We need to leave! Now!"

"How are we-" Lucina was cut off by Severa quickly walking behind her, lifting her into her arms, then running off through the empty streets while Lucina screamed.


	35. S Act II: In Search of Victory Part VIII

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section A

In Search of Victory

Part VIII

Author's note: I recommend listening to listening to _Escape from the City_ from _Sonic Adventure 2_ when you see one * mark, _Who's the Boss?_ from _Sonic Mania_ when you see two ** marks, and _Hi-Spec Robo Go!_ from _Sonic Mania_ when you see three *** marks.

* * *

*If her eyes were open, Lucina would comment on how nerve-wracking it was to be carried through a city at break-neck speeds. However, her eyes were as shut as her fists as she felt winds blast her face. She could feel the rhythmic motions of Severa bobbing up and down as she sat in her arms, but that was all she could discern.

Suddenly, she felt herself fall onto Severa's chest and remain there. Her arms were still around her back and legs, but she felt as though she was parallel to the grou-

" _Oh no._ " Lucina's mind picked up the pieces and she screamed as she opened her eyes, revealing that Severa was carrying her up the side of a gods-damned building. "Put me down put me down put me down!" She panicked as she stared at the night sky above. Severa's grip tightened as she neared the corner of the building's roof and began to slow down. Lucina's heart rate, however, only continued to climb as she hanged in Severa's arms and felt gravity press her against her friend.

With a slow step, Severa stepped from the wall to the roof of the building and gently placed Lucina on the floor.

"You alright?" Severa asked as she grinned from ear-to-ear. Lucina turned her gaze to the full moon above to Severa.

"No, I am not _alright_! I've never been so afraid in my entire life!" Lucina stood up and paced around the roof with heavy breaths. "You can't just carry people up buildings like that without asking!"

"You enjoyed it, didn't you." Severa folded her arms and continued to smile.

"I…" Lucina paused as her mind raced. "No. I did not." She folded her arms in response.

Their back-and-forth was cut off by the flapping of pegasus wings.

"Dark Mother, this is Blue Eagle." She pressed her earing to her mouth as she spoke. "I have confirmed visuals on the target. Moving to engage."

Severa groaned as the pegasus knight reared back in preparation to strike. She quickly lifted Lucina in her arms and sprinted towards the edge of the roof.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lucina gulped in suspense as she stared ahead at the city lights, and the long fall down.

"Just trust me!" Severa tightened her grip as she leaped off the roof. Lucina screamed as they sailed through the air towards the ground. The eventuality of her death seemed obvious to Lucina as they fell towards the ground. She buried her head in Severa's shoulder and held it there as they fell closer and closer to the stone roads of Ylisstol.

A loud thud ensued, and Lucina opened her eyes to reveal they were still alive. A crowd of confused civilians circled them as Severa continued to hold her friend. Severa's knees were bent as she slowly stood up from her crouching position.

"How did we…" Lucina questioned. That fall should've killed them both.

"We gotta keep moving!" Severa quickly tore off through the crowd as civilians dove out of the way. Lucina screamed as she felt the familiar rush of speed; the buildings they ran past were nothing more than blurs to her eyes.

Severa turned her gaze to see a squadron of pegasus knights flying behind and gaining on them. Ahead was a sharp turn to the left in the road, as they neared the wall of the city.

Had she any less blood pumping in her veins, Severa would have the idea to climb the wall and escape the city that way. Right now, however, she was getting so much enjoyment that she _wanted_ to continue running through Ylisstol.

The pegasi grew closer and closer before Severa slammed her feet down, skidding to a halt and kicking up dust behind her feet. She stopped mere feet from the wall as Lucina braced for impact. The knights had no choice but to stop, lest they risk smashing into a stone wall. "See you chumps later!" Severa turned her head to face the knights and laughed as she continued along the road adjacent to the wall. The pegasus knights didn't have the acceleration to catch them now as they ran next to the wall.

After a short while, Severa turned another corner and went back in the direction of the center of Ylisstol. The roads were lined with humans and risen alike who were dumbfounded at her speed as she tore past.

"Look out!" Lucina used her hand that wasn't wrapped around Severa's shoulder to point to a dip in the road up ahead. Severa stopped and looked down to see that they stood at the top of a park situated on a hill. On her right was a long staircase with a hand railing.

"Hold on tight!" Severa grinned as she took a few steps back, then sprinted towards the staircase. She leaped through the air and positioned her feet on the railing. Sparks flew behind her as she grinded down the rail as though she was snowboarding. She angled her knees and maintained her balance while Lucina could hardly contain her fear. Severa looked to the park to see various children cheering her on. "We should do this more often!" Severa had to yell to make her voice audible among the screechings of the rail.

"No!" Lucina yelled back, then noticed the end of the railing approach. Yet they looked down to see the rest of the road, which dipped and rose like a collection of mountains.

Severa leaped off the rail and landed on the peak of a small hill, then turned her gaze to a nearby rectangular sheet of iron used for repairing the damaged wall. Courteously, she placed Lucina on the ground and handed her the sheet of iron. "What are you…" Lucina struggled to hold the sheet up after Severa effortlessly dropped it into her grasp.

"Put it right there." Severa pointed to the peak of the hill they stood on; Lucina dragged the iron sheet over and set it on the ground. "Let's race to the end."

"Alright." Lucina begrudgingly smiled as she stood on the sheet, which now had half of it hanging above the hill. She bent her knees and shifted her weight as she moved the sheet forward, then disappeared from Severa's view as she descended.

"Hey! No fair!" Severa broke into a sprint down the hill and after Lucina, who boarded down the hill as though she was riding a shield. She eventually caught up to her and stuck her tongue out as she passed. Lucina responded by laughing and bending her knees to build up speed.

Up and down the hills they went; a rhythm soon occurred of one passing the other after five seconds of being behind. The Grimaret loomed in the night sky ahead, but they could care less. The thrill, the speed, and the rush of wind that all blended together in Lucina's thoughts. That was what she cared about, and made her realize what she had missed.

All Severa could care about was currently having the time of her life.

Lucina's gaze turned to a barricade of mages at the bottom of the last hill; they stood in a line and held a field of magic in front of them. Anything in the field, such as civilians walking on the sidewalks, were slowed to a crawl as though time had stopped for them. The field was about as high as the mages.

"Jump!" Lucina flashed a worried look to Severa and stuck her hands out. Severa took her by the arms and lifted her off the board as she continued to run towards the mages. With Lucina now in her arms, Severa watched as her iron board sped down the mountain into the field of magic, where it slowed to a crawl.

Severa jumped off the hill and sailed above the mages like a crimson kite against the dark sky. The mages looked up in awe and canceled their field, which caused one to be hit in the knees by an iron board. She landed back on the ground with a thud as the mages tended to their injured, and quickly took off into a back alley.

After a short minute, Severa emerged on the roof of a tall building and set Lucina on the ground. Lucina stretched her legs and laughed with glee before her gaze turned to the distance.

Like a reminder that every night with friends must end, the Ylissean Castle loomed in the distance with Grima coiled around it. She wanted to run right up to the castle, break the doors down, and rescue her mother from her prison.

**A loud crash made them turn around to see a robed man hunched over on the roof. The floor had cracked where he stood, meaning he weighed as much as Grima, or he landed from a long fall.

"Of course, I have to spend my weekend chasing some unruly children out of my town." Excellus sighed as he stood up; Severa noticed a reflective flash underneath his torso that was quickly hidden by his robe.

A bright light blinded Severa and Lucina; they shielded their gaze and saw the source was the towers along the wall of Ylisstol. The entire roof was lit up like a stage by these towers.

"As do I, you know." The familiar voice of the pegasus rider with white hair called out. A black pegasus landed on the roof, allowing not only Aversa to dismount but the Cloaked Woman as well.

"Greetings, Eyes of Grima." Excellus looked to Aversa. "And to you as well, Hand of Grima." He then looked to the Cloaked Woman, who only stared at Severa. "It seems the Thoughts is missing, however."

A bright, red symbol appeared in front of Excellus. The symbol of the Grimleal, except it was upside-down and resembled a gate. A man with gray skin walked out and dispelled it with a snap; Severa recognized him as the man who caught her from her fall two weeks ago. "Fashionably late as usual, Thoughts of Grima."

"Yes, yes, harp on me all you want." Validar sighed as he looked at the two girls. "I had some business in the desert to attend to."

"Well, as the Jaws of Grima, I have a declaration for these two." Excellus turned his grinning gaze to Severa and Lucina. "As the Mayor of Ylisstol, I hereby arrest you both on account of disturbing the peace."

"Okay." Severa shrugged and remained unfazed. "If you expect us to come quietly, you're sorely mistaken."

"Of course we came here expecting a fight. What kind of sniveling simpletons do you take us for?" Excellus laughed to himself; Lucina noted how absurdly large his lips were.

***"The kind who leave themselves open to attack," Severa smirked, then leaped through the air towards Excellus.

"What the hell does that-" He asked, then turned up to see the teenage angel of death sailing through the air like a murderous pegasus. "Oh, gods-damn-"

Her fist collided with his gut with all the strength Severa could muster; she felt as though she had punched a rubber sack. Excellus was thrown backward through the air like a ball. Aversa looked on in dismay as Validar sighed.

"Don't just stand there!" He pointed to Severa, who lifted Lucina into her arms and leaped away towards another roof. "After them! I'll deal with Excellus!" Aversa mounted her pegasus while the Cloaked Woman wrapped her arms around her waist.

The Cloaked Woman watched from above as Validar muttered an incantation and moved his hands towards Excellus, who now plummeted to the ground as he tumbled through the air. As though he was plucked by an unseen hand, Excellus hanged in midair and was dragged back to the rooftop.

"Ow, my head…" Excellus groggily stood up and felt a pain in his gut.

"Get going, fool!" Validar rolled his eyes and rose into the air. He flew after the two girls, leaving Excellus by himself.

"Why am I always the butt of the jokes?" Excellus sighed as he bent his knees and leaped through the air after the two.

Severa looked back in shock as Excellus sailed through the air like a balloon then landed one rooftop behind them.

"How the hell is he jumping so high?" Severa asked as she turned her head to Lucina.

"Look out!" Lucina pointed to Severa's right, where Aversa flew by on her pegasus. The Cloaked Woman sat behind her and aimed a tube at Severa from her shoulder. Severa immediately recognized it from the roof of the Grimaret and stopped dead in her tracks. A net flew out of the tube like an arrow from a bow and sprawled out ahead of her.

The Cloaked Woman took aim again, now aiming at Severa instead of the space in front of her. Severa ran to the end of the roof and jumped off; another net was fired and nearly grazed her foot.

She landed back on the ground and held Lucina in a tight grip to prevent her from being hurt by the fall. She could see that she had landed on another road. Lucina's gaze was pointed upward; Severa followed it with her eyes and was greeted by a sight she would never dream of.

Sailing through the air and diving like a dolphin was Excellus, whose silhouette hung against the moon. He dropped like a sack of potatoes and landed with a roll ahead of Lucina and Severa.

"Ow! Ow ow ow ow!" Excellus shot upright and yelped in pain as he held his head. "Gods, that was-"

He was cut off by a strike from Severa, who had dropped Lucina and lunged at him. He recoiled back but remained standing; Severa followed with a swipe at his legs with her own but felt a sharp pain. Her leg felt as though she had kicked a wall, and she looked up to see Excellus smiling. "Wrong move, girlie."

With a demented grin, Excellus reared his foot up and kicked Severa square in the gut with the sole of his boot. She was sent tumbling backward in a roll until she regained her footing and dragged her feet along the ground. She had created skid marks on the road as she slid backward to Lucina.

"Now would be a good time to beat a hasty retreat," Lucina spoke as Validar, Aversa, and the Cloaked Woman landed near Excellus.

"Yeah…" Severa noticed a boot imprint on the front of her clothing. "What the hell is up with his legs?" She lifted Lucina off the ground and began to run away from the Grimleal members.

"You fools think you can escape Grima's judgment?" Validar cackled with glee as he began to wave his hands. The sky turned from dark to bright red as a glowing hole appeared above Severa and Lucina.

A massive, bronze chariot fell from the hole and onto the road. The cart was pulled by two large, three-headed dogs that snapped and gnashed their teeth. At the top of the cart was a large ogre with one eye.

The Cloaked Woman stepped forward to object; the entire chariot looked like a tool of war, not a tool for catching unruly children. But she was stopped by Aversa's arm.

"Do not worry. Not a hair on their heads will be harmed. Right, Validar?" Aversa spoke.

"Yes, yes. Just let me perform my job, Hand of Grima." Validar looked back as he closed the portal; the sky was turned back to its regular, dark glow.

As they ran down the hill, Severa didn't bother to look back as she heard multiple dogs barking. Lucina turned her head and screamed before burying it in Severa's shoulder.

After finally swallowing her fear and looking back, Severa was greeted with the sight of a massive chariot pulled by three-headed dogs. The chariot was right on her heels as it barreled through the streets, and the cyclopean puller laughed with glee as he gained on Severa.

"Are you kidding me?" Severa screamed as her fear escaped her stomach. She continued to sprint down the streets while the dogs nipped at her heels; on a couple instances, she could feel their fiery breaths on her back.

From the topmost floor of the Grimaret, Grima looked down from the glass wall of his office to see a building-sized chariot tearing through the streets of his city. This was Validar's work; the lack of subtlety was his trademark.

" _Of course they do more damage to my city than Severa did_ …" The process of repairing the commercial plaza was rather simple, but fixing multiple roads was not.

As he sat at his desk with his brow furrowed, he clenched a rubber doll that Cordelia gifted him between his fingers. The object made an excellent stress tool, and he figured he should buy one for Severa to help calm her mood swings.

"Hey, dad, are you okay?" Morgan asked as she stepped into the office from her room. "You seem angry."

"I'm… fine." Grima stood up and smiled as he hugged his daughter. "I'm just happy you're here."

"I don't mean to sound judgemental, but-" Lucina shouted as she remained in Severa's arms. They must have been running for at least five minutes, yet this damned chariot did not give up. "But can't you go any faster?"

Severa responded with another scream. She kept her eyes focused dead-ahead to see the wall growing closer and closer. Suddenly, another symbol of the Grimleal appeared on the wall like a painting. It rotated to resemble a door, with a purple hole in-between the eyes.

The gateway seemed wide enough for Severa and Lucina to slip through, and narrow enough to stop their pursuer. "Hold on!" Severa shouted as she grew closer and closer to the gate.

Excellus watched from a nearby rooftop as Severa and Lucina disappeared through the portal, along with the portal itself disappearing. He winced as the chariot pressed on, through the wall and into the outdoors. Now, there was a large hole in the wall that exposed the town.

"Oops." Validar winced as well as he stood at Excellus' side. "I'll… take care of that."

"No more monsters inside the town. Do I make myself clear?" Excellus glared at him. "Just fix the wall before you depart."

"It shall be done." Validar slowly descended through the air and landed before the wall; large chunks of it were strewn about on the ground as rubble.

Excellus sighed as he watched Validar magically lift large chunks of the wall and fit them back in as though it was a massive jigsaw puzzle. He then lifted up his robes to reveal his pasty, flabby skin. A mark was left on his stomach where the girl had struck him.

" _This body is disgusting_." Excellus scowled at his own figure as he slipped his robe back on. Why couldn't the rest of his body be like his legs? They had such beautiful strength, speed, and form.

If only the rest of his body was as metallic as his legs.


	36. S Act II: In Search of Victory Finale

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section A

In Search of Victory

Finale

Author's note: I recommend listening to listening to _Ink Long Dry_ from _Final Fantasy XIV_ when you see one * mark, and _The Maker's Ruin_ from _Final Fantasy XIV_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

Darkness enveloped Severa and Lucina after they ran into the gate. The most Severa could see was Lucina, who she quickly placed back on the ground. A purple decoration was on the floor as well

"Is the gate still-" Lucina turned around; the gate was gone and in its place was more darkness. The red glow underneath Severa's eyes disappeared, meaning she had lost her supernatural powers and they no longer had a source of light to save them from the darkness.

*A light flicked to life dead ahead. More followed until the darkness was soundly beaten, revealing a massive room freed from its jaws. The lights were purple, luminescent balls that sat on various tables, all of which were empty.

Shelves lined with books towered above Severa and Lucina. Severa pointed up with an agape jaw to various books flying in-between said shelves amidst the haunting glow. Lucina's gaze, however, was somewhere else. Specifically, the window hanging on the back wall of this library.

She peered out to see an endless, black void that stared back at her. "I don't think we're in Ylisstol…" A chill rush went down her back; she instinctively grabbed her sword and bent her knees. "Who's there?" She turned around and unsheathed her blade.

"Apologies." Her eyes grew wide as Validar stood before her. Or, at least, a shadowy outline that looked and sounded like him. "Do you know where the meeting room is? I seem to have gotten lost."

"Um…" Lucina paused; her gaze searched for an ambusher waiting to strike. "I… don't know where that is."

"I see." The outline let out a sigh as it walked away. "I guess I am cursed to walk these twisting halls forever…" The outline disappeared past a bookshelf while another outline walked out.

"Severa?" Lucina called out. "Where are you?"

"Over here!" Severa's voice echoed from her left; Lucina scrambled in that general direction until she came across Severa hugging a book. The flying tome struggled to break free from her embrace as she held it against her chest. "I finally caught this stupid thing, and I wanna see what's inside."

Severa smashed her fist into the front of the book, seemingly knocking it out and allowing her to place it on a table and open it. Lucina inspected the front of the cover to see '07/09/25' printed in gold numbers. "Day twenty-five of the ninth month of the seventh year." Severa began to read a random page aloud. "Today, I remembered that her name started with an S." Severa held the book up to a light to see if there was anything else written on this page.

"Who's 'her?'" Lucina asked as she pulled a chair out next to Severa.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Severa flipped to the next page. "Harken, my damned mind. Reveal thine secrets." Her eyes scanned through the rest of the book, which seems to be poetry written in lines. "Why must thine dreams serve as heaven and hell?

"Which one of you dolts have seen the twenty-fifth book in the ninth volume of the seventh year?" Severa and Lucina looked up as the familiar voice of Validar echoed through the library. Suddenly, the book slammed shut over Severa's hand and began to move.

"Ow!" Severa exclaimed as she felt the book clamp down on her fingers. "Ow ow ow ow ow!" She grabbed her clamped hand with her other and tried to pry it out. Lucina helped in the tug of war with the flying book.

Eventually, they were able to yank Severa's hand from the leather-bound jaws of the book and allow it to fly away. Severa cradled her red, inflamed hand. "Was that… Validar?" Suddenly, the shadowy outlines of Validar made sense.

"Hello? Am I talking to myself, or-" Validar's voice called out, then his laugh echoed from a different direction. "Oh, be quiet and find me that book!"

"Is your hand okay?" Lucina asked.

"It'll be alright." Severa stood up and put her hand on her side. She sprinted off in the direction of Validar's voice while Lucina followed.

After running past what seemed like an endless amount of bookcases, Severa eventually came across the source of the voice and drew her blade. "Alright, Validar! Where the hell are we-"

She cut herself off when she realized she was brandishing steel at a shadowy outline of Validar who was sorting books. The shadow turned around and faced her with the black shape it called a face.

"I beg your pardon, young lady, but can you lower your voice?" She couldn't tell if it was smiling politely or scowling. "Have you seen the first book in the sixth volume of the thirteenth year?"

Lucina looked at her left to see a book with the numbers '13/06/01' on the front. The tome sat on a table, abandoned and longing for a home.

"Here." Lucina handed the shadow the book, who eagerly took it from her grasp.

"Thank you, Lucina." The shadow placed the tome in an open slot of the bookcase.

"How did you-" Lucina's shoulders tensed.

"It's right here, in the third book in the second volume of-" The outline spoke as he pulled a book out from the shelf.

"Give me that!" Severa could only hear that damned phrase so many times before it became grating. She opened the book and scanned the first page. "Day three of the second month of the fortieth year. Lucina and her companions have been drawn to Ylisstol like flies to honey. Grima is afraid of the Emblem and wants to acquire it, be it peaceful or forceful. He has every right to so fervently afraid of the damned shield, but I worry he is too soft on Severa. One of these days, she's going to be his downfall."

Severa closed the book and slowly looked up to Lucina. They both had the same blank stare as their minds raced to the same conclusion.

Today was the fourth of February.

"I'll be needing that back." The shadow held his hand out for the book, which Severa provided him with.

"Attention all library staff!" Validar's voice called out from directly ahead. "Our annual roundtable will be held in five minutes!"

"If you'll excuse me," The shadow bowed to the two. "I must be going now."

"Can we follow you? We're new recruits and we don't quite know the map to this place yet." Severa smiled as she turned to Lucina, who confusedly looked from her to the shadow.

"But we're-" Lucina spoke and Severa replied by covering Lucina's mouth with her hand.

"Very excited to work here!" Severa continued to smile while Lucina's muffled voice escaped from her hand. Eventually, Lucina's eyes lit up and she stopped mumbling.

"Yes. We're very excited, yet we're also lost." Lucina nervously coughed into her arm.

The shadow simply stood there; its lack of a face made it hard to read whether it bought their fib or not.

"Follow me." It spoke as it walked off with Severa and Lucina close behind. Down they went past even more bookshelves and tables until they stood before a massive, stained glass window. The picture depicted the symbol of the Grimleal in red and shone down upon the floor. "Right through here." The shadow pointed to a door underneath the window. "You two might want to improve your skills in lying." He spoke as he opened the door and walked through it.

Severa sighed as she opened the door behind him, revealing a circular room lined with rows of seats. In the middle of the room was a circular platform with the symbol of the Grimleal adorned on it. Lucina noted that they had stepped onto the circular platform from the door, which had disappeared from behind them.

"Uh…" Severa looked around to see shadowy clones of Validar sitting in the chairs and reading books. "Are we supposed to be here?"

"Is everyone present?" A voice called from ahead of Severa and Lucina. "I count eleven members, so yes. Any objections to calling this meeting?"

Eleven identical voices responded with an approval. "Without further ado…"

Validar stepped out onto the platform; his smile disappeared the moment he noticed Severa and Lucina. "Oh, right. You two are still here."

The purple lights dimmed, and in their place, the floor lit up like a massive lantern. Validar lifted a tome in the air with his fingers and began to mutter an incantation. **"I shall sweep the rats from my home and deliver them to Master Grima!"

The symbol of the Grimleal appeared behind Validar, constructed of orange lines and eyes. The symbol bent and shifted like a moving painting as the lines and eyes transformed into new shapes. The eyes clumped together to make a large, orange pile that floated next to the lines.

With a snap of Validar's fingers, the two shapes merged and were enveloped by a purple light. When the light disappeared, the shapes had fused together to make a morning star with a flail. The eyes jutted out and resembled a pile of spikes while they were attached to the two lines.

He flicked his wrist, smashing the end of the mace down onto the ground where Severa was. She dove out of the way and looked at the spiked ball that jutted out of the ground. The floor had cracked from the impact.

Lucina drew her blade and charged Validar, only to be blasted with a cloud of purple smoke from his free hand. She could hardly see through the cloud as she swung her blade aimlessly, only to feel a sinking in her gut when she noticed him standing further back.

He moved his hand in a swinging motion; Severa noticed that the morning star was being dragged sideways through the ground, with the chain in between heading right for her legs. She leaped over the chain as though it was a jump rope, but Lucina was knocked to the ground by the magic chain.

"Hey!" Severa called out as Lucina groaned from the floor. She looked on at Lucina with the heavy gaze, at the pain that she herself had caused to her friends. Validar cackled with glee as he brought the chained ball above his head in preparation to smash it down on Lucina. "If you only care about me, then act like it!" Severa positioned herself between Lucina and Validar. "Just don't hurt her!"

"As you wish!" Validar smiled as he twirled his finger, causing the chain of the morning star to wrap around Severa like a snake. Her arms were bound as she felt the chains from the magic weapon scratch her skin. "But first, I won't take any chances!"

Sparks of lightning crackled and jumped between the chains. Severa screamed in pain as she felt the electric jolts course through her body.

"No!" Lucina thrusted her blade into the ground and used it to pull herself to her feet. She then sprinted to the chain and gripped her blade with two hands as she smashed it against the chain. Her sword bounced off the enchanted metal; her arms shook as electricity jumped from the chain to her sword.

"Foolish girl!" Validar continued to laugh as she dropped her blade and spasmed. "It is your destiny to lose!"

Her nerves calmed as she focused on Severa's pained, scared eyes. She paused; a hesitation. How many more were going to be hurt by her failures?

"Just… go! Run!" Severa groaned. With a deep breath, Lucina bent down and picked up her blade. Her mind flashed back to the burning forest, to the face Severa made as she told Lucina to run. Her grip tightened as she brought her sword above her head and aimed it at the chain.

With a scream echoing out of her lips, and her grip on her sword tightening, Lucina felt something new in her father's blade. A voice that spoke to her mind. One that had persisted since the age of the Hero King, or at least she thought.

The voice told her to stand and fight. To fight and protect those she loved.

A massive, shining blade of light exploded from the Falchion and extended the reach of the blade threefold. She smashed the sword upon the chain, shattering it and severing the connection between the ball and the handle. "What?" Validar almost choked from the shock as his weapon faded to orange dust.

Severa tumbled to the ground and laid there while Lucina quickly checked her pulse. Unconscious but safe. The light from her sword pierced the darkness of the room and made Validar's skin crawl. "You think you can win with that insignificant parlor trick?"

Lucina replied with silence as she glared at Validar with the anger of a raging bull. She dragged her sword along the ground as she slowly approached, grunting with every step she took.

"For… For the murder of my father..." She grunted through her teeth. Validar's eyes widened as he backed up to the edge of the platform. "For… the pain you've inflicted on my friends..." Her demented grin was the only thing in Validar's recent memory that actively scared him.

"Now, listen, young Exalt. I had no intention of harming he-"

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Lucina screamed with a volume that shook the floor as she thrust her blade into Validar's chest. He wailed in agony as he felt the disgusting light course through his body. Lucina's stalwart stare and grimace remained visible, even as Validar's grey blood flew from his wound to her face.

She slowly, painfully pulled her blade from his chest and brought it to his neck.

"This… This isn't over…" He glared at her as he held his chest. "Damn you both!" He quickly snapped his fingers, creating a gate behind Lucina.

Winds lashed at her back, pulling her towards the gate. She stood her ground as she continued to glare at Validar. Her gaze was broken for a moment when she saw Severa's unconscious body tumble into the gate from the winds.

By the time her gaze returned to Validar, he was leaning over her with a clean chest and an unbroken face. He brought his foot up and smashed it into Lucina's gut, kicking her back and throwing her into the gate.

The gate of the Grimleal disappeared after the two girls were sucked in, leaving a tired Validar and ten clones of himself standing in an empty room. Validar groaned as he waved his hands, dismissing the clones and giving him room to think.

He exited the room through a back door and stepped into a new one, which contained nothing but a desk and a massive painting on the wall. Validar seated himself at the desk, of which a book titled '40/02/04.'

"Day four of the second month of the fortieth year." Validar read his writing aloud as he used his quill to write his thoughts. "Lucina has killed me today. I only have ten bodies remaining. In other, more pressing news, I remembered something new about _her_ today."

Validar looked up to the painting, which depicted a man with black hair standing next to a woman with white pigtails. Their small son stood between them, smiling with his short, white hair. Whereas the father and the son were painted with an excruciating attention to detail, the mother was unfinished. Her eyes, for example, were simply unpainted spaces on the canvas.

He raised his hand to move a paintbrush against the painting with his magic. He began to paint palm trees and a beach in the background, "Today, I remembered that she loved the smell of the beach." That was all he remembered of her, barring what he had written down and forgotten the next day.

* * *

Sand flew from Lucina's mouth as she pulled her head out of the ground and dusted off her tongue with her hands to remove the grains from it. She looked around from where she sat; all around her was the blue sands of a desert and nothing else. The moon hanged in the sky above while Severa laid at her side, with Falchion sticking out of the ground close by.

Lucina sheathed her father's blade and sat down next to Severa, who was still breathing. Tired, but breathing. Her posture shifted from a sit to a lying position next to Severa as she questioned what her father's blade had done.

* * *

And with that, I'll see you folks in the next few months with Puppets Don't Cry Section B: Severa's Bizarre Adventure to Rigel.


	37. S Act II B: A Funeral of Flowers Part I

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section B

A Funeral of Flowers

Part I

The Story so Far:

Having come and gone from the Grimleal-occupied Ylisstol like a spring breeze, Lucina finds herself amidst a barren desert with no indication of which way leads out. She carries both an unconscious Severa and questions about her blade that only her father can answer.

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Tostarena: Night_ when you see one * mark.

* * *

*On the prospect of sand, Lucina found that these fine debris of rocks were truly, unquestionably evil in their yellowish filth. Although one might call her insane for arguing the moral standings of inanimate objects, Lucina would reply that these objects had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Whether it was scorching hot, or unbearably cold, sand would always serve as a hindrance. Unlike dirt, which simply existed without causing any issues, sand would always find a way to sneak into one's life and ruin a joyous mood, like questions about self-worth.

Her favorite example of their evil was when she was young enough that her father was still alive, and he took her, her mother, and her brother to the beach with Cordelia's family in tow. When she wasn't chasing Inigo with a toy shovel, she was avoiding the bright sections of the beach like it was her duty, as they were blisteringly hot and burned her bare feet. Even her mother took care to wear sandals, lest her feet suffer the same fate as Lucina's.

When she asked her father why the sand was so mean, he laughed in response and told her it was simply a fact of life: hot sands burn with the heat of the sun. Lucina wasn't convinced; she would lead a crusade against the filthy rocks and end their tyranny. Her mother would be free to walk barefoot on the beach, and she would no longer have to feel sores on her feet.

As she looked over the vast, blue mounds of sand in the unknown desert she had arrived in, with enough sand in her boots to embolden her childlike ideas of crusades, she wished that she was at least at a beach. That way, she would be in sweltering heat instead of freezing cold.

The fact that Severa was unconscious and held in Lucina's arms like a bride didn't help her mood. A mood that hung over her like a raincloud as she slowly, arduously trudged down the hills in a direction she had decided on an hour ago. Her throat was aching, her feet were pounding and throbbing, and her arms felt as though they would simply give up and drop Severa at a moment's notice.

She dared not fail Severa by giving up. Dying from exhaustion in a sandy grave was among the worst ways to go out, only slightly better than drowning in a small lake.

" _What would the Hero-King do_?" A simple question that she would ask herself in times of stress. It had worked before, and surely it would work now as she scanned the horizon for _something_ to help her. " _He would find a hidden trinket in the sand to save him_. _Every desert has a hidden trinket_."

Unfortunately, her hands were occupied with holding Severa. Regardless of how cute Severa looked when she slept -a fact Lucina swore to never tell her in person- she was simply too heavy to sling over Lucina's shoulder to free her arm. " _Okay, something smaller... What would my father do_?"

Her father would probably have one of his allies cart him on their mount. Given that Cynthia was a good distance away in some gods-forsaken direction, this plan was also moot. "Severa… Please wake up…"

Lucina's knees buckled and her tears began to stain the sands. "I don't want to die alone…"

As she knelt in the sand with fear gripping her heart, a chill went down her spine. She felt as though a hand had tapped her shoulder; she quickly looked back to see nothing but the dark sky above. "Who's there!" She called out.

Another tap poked her boot, making her jump and let out a yelp. She took a few steps back as her heartbeat climbed, then looked down to the sand where she had stood.

A line began to form in the sand, pushing the particles away as shapes began to form. It reminded Lucina of when she would use her finger to draw shapes in the beach sand, only now this was caused by some unseen force.

She watched in astonished horror as more shapes were drawn in the sand, forming together to create a message.

'Go!' the lines in the sand read, followed by an arrow pointing her towards a dune a short distance away. Although she was skeptical of trusting messages from unseen bystanders, it was better than the alternative.

"Thank you!" Lucina called out as she hurried in the direction of the arrow. Her mind raced with ideas as to who could her savior be. Was it a servant of Naga? Or maybe it was a cloaked member of the Grimleal, luring her into a trap.

As she surmounted the hill of sand, she looked out to see a dilapidated entrance to a building covered with sand. The rest of the building must be underground, judging by the entrance being the only visible part.

She decided that uncertain chances of an ambush were better than certain chances of death and entered the cavern while Severa began to stir.

If Lucina had chosen to ignore the message of the unseen aid, she would have witnessed a group of cloaked men storm through the desert and circle around the message of 'Go!'

They were led by hounds affixed to leashes, and the dogs wore metal helmets that had blue crystals attached to them. They sniffed the ground and began to bark around the message.

A circle was formed around the message by the men, who fumbled with their coats and pulled out lanterns that contained the same blue crystals from the dogs' helmets. They tapped the crystals in unison, creating a small field around each one.

"We know you're here, Shepherd!" The men spoke as the fields from the crystal grew. The sand inside the fields were bathed in the blue glow, along with the men and the hounds as the fields merged together to cover a large circle.

In the center of the circle of soldiers was a hunched-over figure; a man with orange hair and a bandanna around his forehead. A blue outline glowed around him as he stood up, pulling his finger away from the message he had written. He was semi-translucent in his glow.

"Well, you caught me," Gaius spoke with a smirk as the lantern-wielding men drew their swords. "Try not to make it too painful, okay?" He watched with a simple glare as one man stabbed him in the gut with a sword, making his blue body explode in a collection of glowing orbs.

The luminescent balls flew off like a swarm of flies to the northwest; the men turned off their lanterns as the commander tapped his earring.

"Conductor Validar, we've retrieved the escapee." He spoke into the earring. "We're en route to reboard the Specter Express before sunrise."


	38. S Act II: A Funeral of Flowers Part II

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section B

A Funeral of Flowers

Part II

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Tidal Tempest Present (JP/PAL)_ from S _onic CD_ when you see one * mark, _Tidal Tempest Bad Future (JP/PAL)_ from _Sonic CD_ when you see two ** marks, and _Contention_ from _Final Fantasy XIV_ when you see three *** marks.

* * *

As Lucina stepped into the submerged building, she was greeted with a place that had slumbered for centuries, or so she thought. The grey walls and floors, which were worn by centuries of age, were decorated with one statue of a griffon; opposite of the statue was nothing, with markings on the floors and walls indicating that there used to be something here. Piles of sand lined the walls, and a stone slab was set right before where Lucina stood.

Lucina sighed as she placed Severa on the ground against the wall and inspected the slab. The writing was too worn to make anything legible out. She assumed there was more writing on the back, but was greeted with nothing.

However, a small tome had been set leaning against the backside. Lucina picked up the book and opened it, ignoring the symbol of the Grimleal plastered on the front.

"Hello, me." A low voice echoed from the pages of the tome, making Lucina jump in shock and drop the book. She recognized the voice as Grima. "If my memory starts to degrade for whatever reason, I decided to leave these tomes throughout my old stomping grounds to remind me of my accomplishments, in case I ever want to revisit this place."

Lucina steadied her breath and looked to see Severa, now awake and sitting upright against the wall.

"Even just hearing his voice makes me want to hit him," Severa grumbled as she folded her arms. "How did we get here?" She looked around at her surroundings.

"I carried you through a desert." Lucina pointed to the exit and to the sand that lined the walls.

"...Thanks." Severa slumped her head into her arms. "Nice to see that I'm always dead weight."

"Excuse me?" Lucina began walking towards her friend.

"I'm a weight tied around your ankle. You ever notice how _I'm_ the one who gets caught by the Cloaked Woman, or trapped underneath a tree, or having a bucket of mud dropped on m-"

"And you're going to ignore how you saved us from Ylisstol? How you sacrificed yourself to Validar just now?" Lucina stood over Severa with a solemn stare. "If anything, I'm the one weighing you down."

"No, you're not. You're important. I'm nobody." Severa continued to mumble through her arms. "Always have been, always will be."

"Severa…" Lucina stopped herself; how could she console her friend if she could not even console herself?

She just wished that Severa could view herself the way Lucina viewed her.

Severa looked up from her arms to see Lucina lifting up her uniform over her head, revealing her blue undershirt and shorts.

"W-what are you doing?" Severa's eyes were glued to her figure as Lucina began to smack the wall with her clothing. Sand flew out of her garments, but all Severa could focus on was her rear.

"Removing the sand from my clothing." Once she was satisfied with her garments, she promptly put them back on and noticed that Severa's cheeks were as bright as a tomato. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah I'll be fine." Severa quickly stood up and stared at the floor as though it was the most interesting thing in the room. "Let's uh… So why was Grima in here?"

"I have no idea." Lucina began to pace around the dusty room. Her eye was drawn to a doorway that presumably led deeper into this complex. "Maybe he was afraid of what was down here? He did say these were his old stomping grounds."

Severa pondered the idea as she looked to the desert outside. Before she could think of a reason to avoid going back outside, one was revealed to her.

The smell of roast beef began to tickle Severa and Lucina's nostrils. Their hungry stomachs growled as they quickly turned to follow the scent, gently floating out from deeper with the complex, they assumed.

Without even sparing a second to think, Lucina walked through the exit as though her feet moved on their own. Severa eagerly followed, like a carriage weighing down a horse.

*What awaited them as they walked down the torch-lit halls was a peculiar sound; something stranger than roast beef in an abandoned building. Rushing water sounded from deeper in the halls. Lucina tossed a puzzled look to Severa, who looked equally as confused as they continued deeper through the aged halls.

At the end of the hall, past a few twists and turns, Severa and Lucina found a small room with a gaping hole in the floor. Pouring into the hole was a steady stream of rushing water, escaping from a large, man-made hole in the wall.

Lucina looked around the edges of the square room, noticing a distinct lack of sand from the halls, and in its place were puddles of water. A tome sat atop a table, looking identical to the book from the entrance. Severa opened the tome and set it upon the table.

"Hello again, me." Grima's voice was just loud enough to be heard over the water. "So, I want to talk about sand. It's coarse. It's rough. It's annoying. Like humans. sand is always an obstacle. When I brought a team of professionals here last week to excavate these ruins, we found the overabundance of sand to be quite annoying."

For once, Lucina could sympathize with Grima over something. "When Excellus proposed to wash out the ruins with a magically-created spring, I liked the idea so much that I took credit for it. Excellus seemed fine with his lack of credit, simply saying something about serving a greater cause and all that. Regardless, this worked wonders for our efforts; the sand was washed out and the flooded ruins allow the workers to descend to the lower levels without fear of breaking their legs."

Severa looked down the hole and could see a large body of water swirling about. "I shall write again after I take the Ylissean Castle for myself. I hear the queen of Ylisse is quite fetching. Mayhap she can dress up as Marla for me as I… ravage her body and whatnot."

With a long snort from her nostrils, Lucina slammed the book shut and folded her arms as she stared at the wall.

"You okay?" Severa tapped her on the shoulder. Lucina replied with silence before shaking her head. "He's such a disgusting monster… Talking about your mom like she's an obje-"

"Please stop talking." Lucina quickly spoke as her clenched fist trembled. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to think about that right now."

"I get it." Severa smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "Well, I guess we can go for a swim to take your mind off it."

"I'd rather not, no matter how good that beef smells." Much like stepping on the sand of the beach, Lucina was always hesitant to go swimming. Sometimes, she considering rolling her disdains into one claim that she simply didn't enjoy the beach.

"Oh, come on. You'd rather give up a meal because of some swimming?" Severa took her by the hand and tried to lead her to the hole. Lucina planted her feet on the ground and refused to budge. "That's quitter talk and you know it." Severa moved her hands to Lucina's back and her legs.

She hesitated for a brief moment. Where once there was gusto as she had lifted Lucina in her arms to save her from Ylisstol, there was hesitation in her movements. She stopped as she felt the touch of Lucina's inner knee against her arm.

"It's talk of someone who exercises due cautio-" Lucina cut herself off as Severa slowly lifted her into her arms. "Put me down." She noticed that Severa was blushing profusely, not unlike five minutes ago.

"N-not until you face your fears." Severa gave her a joking smile as she walked toward the hole in the ground. She wanted to smack herself for how ironic that statement was. "On the count of three, we're jumping in."

"Stop!" Lucina flailed her arms about in a desperate bid to break free. Severa's hands trembled, both from fear of the plunge and the feel of Lucina's body against hers.

"One… Two…" Severa gulped.

"Do you mean on three? Or after-"

"Three!" Severa averted her eyes as she stepped off the floor and through the hole. Lucina's screams echoed throughout the long fall; both of them had shut their eyes.

A loud splash ensued, they both felt the water swallow them in its embrace. A slight stinging sensation was in Severa's feet while she landed. Lucina gasped for breath as she floated out of Severa's grasp and swam to the surface of the freezing water. She poked her head out and felt air pour into her lungs as she paddled above the surface.

"Severa!" Lucina looked around in the dark. She could only see her shoulders and nothing else. The ceiling hung an estimated foot above her head, barely giving her any room to stay afloat. "Severa! Where are you?" She frantically looked around for her friend. Fear gripped her thoughts; had she drowned? Was she gasping for breath, trapped underneath this watery graveyard?

A loud gasp of breath sounded as Lucina felt the water to her right splash her. She looked to see Severa emerge and take a deep breath. Her white hair had lost their pigtails from the water and now resembled her mother's.

"Well, that was fun," Severa spoke after taking a deep breath and giving a joking look to Lucina. Lucina replied by lightly hitting her on the shoulder and glaring as they treaded water. "Ow…"

"Do you see a place where we can rest?" Lucina scanned the darkness for a place to land. Severa joined in, eventually pointing to a hole in the roof to their right. They both swam to the hole and poked their heads in to see a small room had been dug in. Likely by the Grimleal, judging by the insignia drawn in the dirt wall.

Severa and Lucina pulled themselves up through the hole and seated themselves on the dirt, shivering and saying nothing as they stared at the water below.

Lucina wrapped her cold arms around Severa and hugged her. "I th-h-h-ought you d-d-d-died…"

"Relax… I-I'm no-o-ot dyin-n-n-g-g o-o-on you…" The frigid cold was too overbearing for Severa to worry about the awkwardness of hugging Lucina. In her attempts to focus her attention anywhere that wasn't Lucina's head, which was snuggled against Severa's chest, Severa discovered another tome leaning against the wall of the small room.

Severa stood up, prompting Lucina to make a low, whimpering noise as she hugged her arms to her chest. She then returned and sat down while placing a tome on the ground.

"Dear me…" The tome began to speak after Severa opened it. She then rested her head on Lucina's shoulder as they listened intently. "Yesterday, when I sieged the castle of Ylisse, I ran into the daughter of Chrom. She looked so… so innocent, so unaware of the horrors that I had caused."

Grima's laugh echoed out of the tome and rebounded against the walls. Severa looked to the surface of the water to see a skull float by. "In an odd way, it reminded me of myself in my younger years… So optimistic about humanity, how Duma and I would agree that they needed us. Her mother, who slipped from my grasp like grains of sand, shepherded her out while their manservant fought me to protect them."

The look of distress in Lucina's eyes was indescribable. The fear, anger, agony, regret, and more swirled around in her irises like a raging storm as she sat. "His name was Frederick. I killed him. But as I drove my blade through his chest, I felt no joy. No catharsis. Did this man have a family? A loving wife, like Marla? I pondered this as I stepped into the streets of Ylisstol. As I looked out to see all those fearful people, who had done nothing to draw my ire…"

Severa noticed that the storm of emotions in Lucina's eyes had changed to a quizzical look. "I cracked. I offered them safe haven, and a promise to rebuild the lives I had ruined. Why? Was it the girl? Why did I not kill them?"

Another laugh echoed from the tome. As it continued, Grima's laughter slowed. Every pause between his chuckles grew unbearable.

By the end, Grima was sobbing. "What is… What is wrong with me?"

The book closed itself; the message was over. The silence afterward was deafening. Severa found herself unable to speak; Lucina simply stared at the book with a blank stare.

Both of their minds drifted back to the hospital in Ylisse when Grima had openly apologized to Severa. How was this crying, regretful man the same monster who had killed their parents?

A thought occurred to Lucina in her desperate attempts to think of anything but Grima's wails.

"How are we going to get back to the surface?" She asked.

"Grima said he had a team with him when he was excavating all this. They must have had a way to go back up; we just haven't found it yet." Severa replied.

"I suppose…" Lucina stood up and noticed that Severa's wet hair was still worn down like hers and Cordelia's. "You look good with your hair like that."

"No, I don't. I look like my mother, and that's the last thing I want."

"Why?" Lucina asked. "You always speak so highly of her."

"I'm allowed to be my own person, okay? I don't always want to be compared to someone else." Severa stood up and leaned over the hole in the floor. She stared at the dark depths of the water. "I'm going in to find something to light the way."

Lucina was so preoccupied with thinking about Severa's statement that she didn't say anything while Severa jumped in the water and dove below. Was she wrong to enjoy living in the shadow of Marth and her father? The stress of living up to their image wasn't enjoyable, but she found it nice to have a legacy.

Panic ensued in the wait for Severa. Lucina had to repeat to herself that Severa was okay, that she knew how to swim and would surface before she drowned. A few excruciatingly long minutes followed before Lucina heard the splash of water, and soon Severa's head surfaced from the hole in the floor.

"Did you find anything?" Lucina asked. Severa bobbed up and down in the water with a smile on her face.

"Check this out." Severa reached into her pocket and pulled out a blue crystal, roughly the size of her fist. The jagged gem gave off a faint glow as Severa held it up and placed it on the dirt. "Pretty cool, right?"

Lucina leaned over and lifted the crystal up. She held it in the palm of her hand and began to pace around. "I found it laying on what I think was the floor."

Severa cut herself off as Lucina tapped the crystal, making it shine with the light of a blue flame. A blue glow expanded from the crystal, growing until it enveloped the room and bathed it in an embrace. "Uh…" Severa looked around the room, then focused on Lucina with a distressed gaze. "B-behind you."

**Lucina slowly turned around to see a blue, translucent man standing right behind her. He wore crude armor adorned with an insignia she did not recognize. The man looked at her with a stare of one who had lost all hope.

"Please… Help me…" The man slowly raised his hand and placed it on Lucina's shoulder. The hand did not pass through her, despite the see-through appearance of it.

Lucina stared in disbelief, then let out a scream as she frantically brushed his freezing arm off and grabbed the crystal. She backed up as her heartbeat climbed. "Don't leave me… Please…" The man whimpered as he slowly shambled towards her.

"Run! Now!" Lucina covered her nose with her free hand and dove into the water. Severa moved aside and watched as Lucina emerged by her side above the water. The light from the crystal lit up their surroundings, revealing submerged hallways and more translucent soldiers treading water near them.

"Young maidens… Please, help us…" The soldiers mumbled as the water rippled from their presence. They slowly began to swam towards the two, with more being revealed as they entered the field of the crystal.

Without saying a word, Severa screamed, grabbed Lucina by the arm, and dove underneath the water. She lead her through the submerged hallways, noticing both holes in the walls and more of the blue crystals floating around.

As the light from the crystal they held enveloped another of the gemstones, they too began to glow and emit fields of their own. A chain reactions of crystals lighting more crystals had begun, and soon the entire hallway was lit up by the blue glow.

The hallway was not the only thing revealed by the crystals. More of the blue soldiers were revealed, with a large mob of them swimming after Severa and Lucina. Bubbles escaped from Lucina's mouth as she screamed underwater, then began to cough. Severa panicked and swam upwards, carrying Lucina with her.

Lucina's coughs echoed through the halls and above the water. She spit out globs of the liquid as she turned to face the opaque chasers.

Severa stopped as she felt something tug at her frame. She looked down to verify that she was not being tugged by one of the ghostly soldiers, and indeed there were none pulling her legs.

Instead, there was a hole in the floor below them, sucking not only the water in, but themselves. Severa tried to swim against the tug of the hole, but found that her struggles only tired her arms.

"Lucy! Help!" Severa called out, catching Lucina's attention. She too was being sucked in by the current, and she was not knowledgeable enough about the water to know that struggling only made her chances of escape slimmer.

They both let out a scream as they were sucked into the whirlpool of the water, down into its embrace and through the hole in the floor. They continued to scream as they fell, along with various crystals. Through the light of the gems, they could see they were falling in a makeshift tunnel, likely made from the excavation. More of the floors flew past as they fell -Lucina believed to have fallen past nine- before their descent started to slow. The waterfall that they rode down had begun to slow, as though the water itself was frozen. The feeling of air rushing past them lessened; they looked down to see a strange sight.

The waterfall poured into a floating orb of water, suspended in midair like a bauble for a christmas tree. Lucina and Severa crashed into the orb of water, yet suffered no harm from the impact. They simply floated around in the flying bubble before surfacing.

"What the…" Severa looked around and cupped her hand. She raised a small amount of water, then threw it away from her. The water stopped in mid air, then flew back to the bubble as though it was a magnet.

Lucina calmed herself with steady breaths then dove below the bubble. Her eyes locked onto the dirt ground underneath the bubble, which she landed on face-first. Severa followed, allowing her body to be taken underneath with no resistance, then landed on the ground feet-first.

Both dusted themselves off as they looked on to the bubble in awe, then noticed a set of metal objects in the corners of the room. They looked like plates affixed to lights at an angle, and they were aimed at the bubble.

A tome rested against one of the machines, matching the other diaries that Grima had left. Severa shook her hands to dry her fingers, then opened the tome.

"Again, a fond greeting to myself. If you've forgotten, these machines were constructed using technology our researchers had found from these ruins. It turned out the old dogs of Thabes had some advanced tricks up their sleeves, such as manipulating gravity like you see here."

Lucina noticed that as more water poured into the bubble, excess water fell off and landed on the ground, then pooled in a drain in the corner. "The most important technology we found, besides a source of power for Ylisse, were these fascinating crystals. When touched, they create a tear in the two worlds."

"What the…" Lucina spoke in befuddlement.

"I speak of the land of the living, and the land of the dead. Souls that have not passed to the great beyond remain in the land of the dead, a perfect copy of our world. However, using these crystals, we can punch a hole in the divide between these worlds, and allow beings from one to interact with the other."

"So those were…" Severa's mind raced.

"Ghosts." Lucina stared ahead in disbelief. Years of listening to ghost stories from her mother flooded back in her memories, gripping her heart and making her anxious of what other horrors could be down here.

Before she could ponder that question any further, a faint humming sound was heard. Loud enough to be heard amidst the rushing water, but quiet enough to be alluringly peaceful. It could be heard from a passage in the cavern they stood in. Severa slowly stood up and raised the crystal to push the darkness away, and reveal no ghosts around them.

The two went down the passage, following the tight walls of the cavern until they discovered a large room resembling that of the labyrinths above. A small flight of stairs lead down to a large door adorned with the Grimleal symbol. The door was boarded shut with wooden boards.

However, as they searched the room for the source of the humming, Lucina found a trap door underneath the markings of where a statue might have been. Severa congratulated her for the discovery and promptly opened it, revealing a large flight of stairs.

Lucina and Severa walked down the stairs, listening as the humming grew louder and louder as they descended. Eventually, they emerged into a large room that resembled a kitchen. The old architecture of the labyrinth was gone, and now the room had a more modern aesthetic.

***A ding sounded from the oven at the end of the room. A blue, translucent figure emerged from a nextdoor room and opened the oven, revealing a large, cooked ham that she pulled out.

She noticed Severa and Lucina as she stood up. She had long, white hair, and the complexion of a woman in her late seventies. She wore a pair of oven mitts and an apron.

"Oh, hello there dearies." She spoke as she set the ham on the top of the oven. "You must have come a long way to reach here."

It dawned on Lucina that this must be where the smell of roast beef had come from. "You must be so hungry… Come, I have meals in the next room." She pointed to the room she had come from, then walked into it with the ham. Severa and Lucina followed reluctantly, and panicked as they saw more translucent soldiers sitting around a table in a large dining room.

"Hello there, young lass." One spoke to Lucina. He looked like the one who had grabbed her shoulder on the above floor. "Apologies for startling you, I was just lost and wondering where to go."

"How did you…" Severa asked. "Get down here?"

"We took the stairs." Another ghost spoke. Lucina sighed and noticed that the woman pulled two seats back for them.

"Come, come. Rest your weary laurels." She patted the chairs and smiled. Severa sat down and let out a long breath while Lucina followed. They both watched as the ghosts wolfed down the banquet of food, despite them being from a different world. Severa looked out a window to see a massive crystal bathing the rooms in its glow, explaining why the ghosts were here.

"I'm sorry, miss, but what's your name?" Severa asked as she smiled.

"My name is Leraie, sweetie." She spoke as she placed her hands on Severa's shoulders. They were frigid, like the other ghosts, but Severa didn't mind. "If there's anything you need, please just let me know."

Leraie walked off, humming the same tune that had drawn Severa and Lucina here. They both watched as the souls of the soldiers laughed and joked around the table.

Lucina stood up and entered the kitchen to see Leraie tossing a salad.

"Excuse me, Miss Leraie… Why did you invite all the soldiers here? Why are you here in the first place?"

"That's… a long story. My husband, Forneus, created these labyrinths after he lost me to a plague. Unfortunately, he lost his sanity as well, and killed those men in his madness when they came to seal this place."

"Did Forneus know you were here?" Lucina asked.

"No… He had no idea of what those crystals could do. It wasn't until years later, that his crowning achievement, our son, came back here and built me this house."

"Who is your son?"

"Why, Grima, of course." Lucina's eyes widened as Leraie spoke.

"B-but… He's a dragon…"

"Not always. When he was first born, he resembled a human. He even has Forneus' blood in him. Regardless, my son built me this house, and he stops by from time to time. Why, just two days ago he brought a lovely girl with him. I think her name was Cordelia."

Lucina's heart skipped a beat.

"Y-you're sure that was her name? What did she look like?"

"Well, she had long, red hair that went to her knees. She wore a mask, but had a very kind demeanor. She never spoke a word, but you can just tell from her mannerisms that she really cares about him."

Lucina's heart sank; her mind began to spin. How was this possible? She had seen Cordelia's body. She was dead, with no doubt about that. "But to answer your question, I serve dinner to these knights to make amends for my husband's actions. After all, we've all done things we regret."

"I see… Thank you for dinner, by the way." Lucina smiled and began to walk back to the dining room. Did Grima discover a way to raise the dead? Was Cordelia's death faked? There's no way it could've been faked.

"Before you go, I have a guest room you can rest in, if you like. Then after breakfast tomorrow, you and Severa can be on your way." Leraie smiled and continued to toss the salad. Lucina walked back into the dining room and sat down next to Severa, who had started a conversation with one of the ghosts.

"Learn anything interesting?" Severa asked.

"...No." Lucina replied, then continue to think about what Leraie had said.

After enjoying a warm meal and watching the spirits of the soldiers leave of their own accord, Severa and Lucina were led by Leraie to a guest room. Inside was furniture befitting for a small boy, with navy blue walls and toys lining the floor. A bunk bed was built against the wall, which Lucina and Severa slept in. Severa rested on the bottom, and almost dozed off before a faint glow woke her up.

"Severa, are you still awake?" Leraie asked as she knelt down next to Severa.

"Yeah, but... how do you know my name?" Severa whispered.

"Grima talked about you the last few times he visited. He speaks very highly about you. How you're smart, beautiful, hardy…" Her smile was intoxicating.

"He's trying to bait me. I'm not falling for that spiel." Severa folded her arms underneath the fuzzy blanket that covered her. Leraie spoke after a long pause.

"He explained the situation with your father to me. He knows how you feel, and he regrets what he's done to your family." She rested her hand on Severa's side and stroked it, in a manner very similar to Cordelia's method of calming her down. "All I ask is that you give him a chance. We've all done things we regret... Can you allow him a chance?"

As Leraie walked away, she left nothing but two sleeping girls in her wake. One of which was very, very distraught, and began to sob uncontrollably.

* * *

As you've probably noticed, this is not the entirety of Section B. If anything, I'd call it a prelude; a taste of what's to come. Thanks to _Final Fantasy XIV_ consuming my life, I've gotten less writing out, and I want to work around that by changing the upload schedule.

So I've got a question for you, the reader. Should I upload parts in chunks like this, with typically one part coming out every two weeks? Or should I stick to the previous formula, with all of the parts in an act being released in a massive chunk when they're all finished? Please leave a comment and tell me what you think is best.


	39. S Act II: A Funeral of Flowers Part III

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section B

A Funeral of Flowers

Part III

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Out of Time_ from _Final Fantasy XIV_ when you see one * mark, and _Tune of Tostarena_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

A sweet smell of lavender drifted into Grima's nostrils as he slowly opened his eyes to reveal nothing but red. The wool blanket on his bed hugged him in an embrace that was almost as tight as Cordelia's arms wrapped around his chest. The lavender scent was revealed to be her hair, which was draped over his head as though he was wearing a red toupee. From the ungodly amount of tossing and turning she did in bed, it was hardly shocking that her hair was now leaning against his eyes.

What was shocking was when she adjusted herself again, causing her hair to brush against his eyes as though he was scrubbing them with a fur pelt.

Grima screamed in agony as his eyes throbbed; he shot upright and covered his eyes with his hands, then instinctively brought his left hand towards his sleeping wife as he continued to scream.

His clenched fist swung towards Cordelia and stopped mere moments before he would've struck her. Even through her visor, he could tell her eyes were open. Her head slowly raised as Grima brought his hand back to his side.

"I...I don't…" Grima spoke as his right hand began to throb. He clasped his hand and inspected the brand on top, which now pulsed with a sickly, purple light. His thoughts were awash with screams that commanded him to kill. To ruin. To destroy.

His body acted with a mind of its own as he began to spasm violently on the bed, throwing the blankets off and causing Cordelia to scramble off the bed. She hurried to the nearby shelf, where a purple orb attached to a necklace rested. Panic gripped her fingers and almost made her drop the purple orb as she looked back to her husband. He was spasming violently on the bed; his eyes were nothing but black.

Without wasting a single breath, Cordelia scrambled back to the bed and pressed her necklace to her husband's bare chest. He let out a foul screech as he scratched her face, desperately trying to push her off. She winced as his fingernails dug into her skin but remained steadfast. His movements slowed as the orb pulsed with a purple glow, but the possession gripped him still.

With one last motion, Grima slapped Cordelia across the face, throwing her back and causing her to tumble off the bed. The orb fell down his chest as he took a sharp breath; the voices had quieted now and his body was once again his own.

With a gaze of pure defeat, he stood up and looked to his wife as she laid on the floor in a silent heap. He looked to the bloody gashes on her face, to the purple bruise that covered half her visage, and to the mask that remained. Unmoved, as though it was painted on.

Cordelia held the side of her head as she raised her gaze. Even through the visor, Grima could see the disappointment in her eyes.

He mumbled something inaudible as he looked to his hands. Her blood remained on his fingers, and it was all he could focus on as he stood up and exited the bedroom. He returned with a pack of ice and delicately placed it to the side of Cordelia's head.

"I'm sorry." He repeated as he stared directly into her mask. He used his free hand to hold her by the side.

Some time passed while they continued to embrace. Eventually, they stood up, dressed, and moved to the main room of their abode without saying a word.

Such was the routine that Grima loathed.

A window outside revealed a view of Ylisstol, bathed in the morning sunlight. From their view in the highest floor of the Grimaret, even the tallest of skyscrapers looked like nothing more than small stacks of rocks. Cordelia stood against the window, against the light of the sun above and the bustle of the city below.

As Cordelia looked down upon the city that she had spent so many nights in with friends, a thought occurred to her. Not a thought of rage towards her husband; she knew he had no control over his… episodes. A simple thought of wanting to see her friends again.

Grima, meanwhile, was in the process of cooking some eggs upon a stove and mentally berating himself over his lack of restraint. His previous anecdotes of being able to control his degeneration were nothing more than lies; what good was living when he did it in danger to his loved ones? To Cordelia? To Severa? To Morg-

A yawn echoed throughout the room. Grima and Cordelia turned to see Morgan emerge from her room and seat herself at the table. Her hair resembled a broom and her nightgown looked like it had drool marks on it.

"Morning." She smiled, then grimaced as she looked to her mother's bruised face. "Wh-what happened? Mom, are you alright?"

Cordelia slowly walked towards her daughter and hugged her. She grabbed a nearby piece of paper and scribbled out a message. Morgan read it aloud. "Your father was tossing and turning in his sleep."

Morgan looked to the scratch marks on her face and raised her eyebrow. "Then why is there scratch marks on you?"

Cordelia then scribbled another message before Grima placed a hand on her shoulder. She stopped and looked at him as he nodded his head.

"This morning I… I had a mild bout of degeneration." Grima sat down in front of Morgan and couldn't bother to smile. Morgan nodded in response, she remembered reading about the degeneration of the dragons in her books. "Your mother's necklace is able to seal it, but only for a while. That's why it's very important that I stay with her at all times."

"But why not just seal your dragon form and not risk losing your mind? That's what Naga did." Morgan, lacking proper social cues, didn't realize that the mention of Naga was enough to raise Grima's blood pressure.

Grima caught himself before he could yell 'watch your tongue', as that was not something that loving fathers said to their children.

"I quite like having a large, imposing dragon body in reserve, thank you very much." The 'holier than thou' tone in Grima's voice was something that Morgan didn't appreciate.

"But that's insensitive to all of us! Look at mother's face!" Morgan pointed to Cordelia, who seemed like she wanted to get out of the room as fast as possible. "How can you look at that and think everything's fine?" Morgan stood up and folded her arms. The veins in Grima's forehead were throbbing as he glared.

"Young lady, you best not take that tone with me…" Grima gritted his teeth and stood up as well, looming over his daughter like a monolith.

Cordelia shot upright and quickly positioned herself between her arguing family with her arms keeping them at bay. Both Morgan and Grima glared at her as she took a step back, scribbled another message, and held it up.

'Everything is fine.' The message read. Morgan looked to the bruises on her mother's face, and the smile on her face as well.

"If you say so." Morgan sat back down and stared at the table. Grima avoided eye-contact as well while he grumbled to herself. Cordelia tapped him on the shoulder and showed him another message.

'Apologize.'

"I'm sorry, Morgan. I know you don't think it's right, but keeping my dragon body is the only way I can stay in power. People worship a gargantuan dragon, not a single man." Grima spoke as he looked to his daughter.

"I'm sorry for being rude," Morgan replied as she looked to her father.

Cordelia, content with herself at solving this quarrel, wrote down another message and showed it to Grima after he returned to the stove and his eggs.

"You want to go visit your friends?" Grima read it aloud. He pondered the idea as he inspected the cooking eggs. "It has been a while… We won't be able to bring Morgan, however. Is that fine with you?" Grima turned to look at his daughter. He assumed the long walk would be murder on her feet.

"Yeah. I kinda just want to rest for a bit." Morgan leaned back in her chair and smiled. "Plus, this room is really nice."

"We can't just leave you to your own devices…" Grima mumbled as he scooped up the eggs onto a plate. Sunny-side up and looking delightfully edible as Grima set the plate on a table. "I know just the person to call."

* * *

*Darkness enveloped her where she stood. Alone. She held nothing but a slip of paper; a letter of condolences. That much she remembered. The swirling darkness around her began to dart away, showing her revealing outfit of yesteryear that exposed her chest.

A part of her missed that outfit. The other part of her wished she expressed some modesty back then. Now was not the time for that.

Before her appeared a house, situated before a forest. It looked rather serene against the slowly-retreating darkness.

She knocked on the door; her bare knuckles rapped against the wood. With a slow creak, the door opened to reveal a woman standing in the entryway of the house.

"H-hello, may I help you?" The woman asked with a meek smile. She had the air of a very kind woman. Her bloodshot eyes told her everything she needed to know about the tolls the war had on even those not fighting in it.

She replied something about how she was a top general in the Plegian army. That much was true; Gangrel was essentially putty between her fingers and gave her whatever rank she wanted. She also said something about knowing this woman's husband and how much of an exceptional fighter he was.

That was a lie.

When it came time to state that her husband had died fighting the Shepherds, she was distracted by the crying of a newborn child.

She decided that not even a child should learn of their parents passing, and instead whispered into the mother's ear. The sobs that echoed from the mother's lips were enough to haunt her, even as she was drawn out of her trance.

Aversa's eyes snapped open as she gasped for breath, defeated. As she sat with her legs crisscrossed on the floor, she inspected her leather uniform. Its black texture fitted her rather nicely, and the binder on her front kept her once-flaunted chest from getting in the way.

That was a rather painful memory. It began with the same sob story that she would deliver to every widow of the Ylissean-Plegian War, but it ended with _something_ that actually touched Aversa's heart.

She couldn't remember what had occured, but she would be damned if she wasn't going to find out. As a side effect of Validar removing the curse he had placed on her when she was a child, she had lost some of her memories along with her sultry attitude. If she could find closure on her scattered memories, however, she figured she might be able to live in peace with her daughter and have no reminders of her past life hanging around.

Her previous attempt had just ended in failure, likely due to her lack of mental fortitude. She was getting deeper into the memory, however. Last month, she was thrown out of her trance before she could even knock on the door.

"Aversa, come in." Her earring spoke with Grima's voice. She pressed it to her cheek and responded.

"This is the Eyes of Grima. What do you need, Milord?"

"Cordelia and I are leaving for a week to visit old friends. Can you look after our daughter in the meanwhile?"

Seducing and killing nobility was something that Aversa was familiar with. Hell, even raising a child was something she had done, although she wasn't sure if she had mastered it.

Babysitting was entirely foreign.

"I… suppose I can." She replied.

"Excellent. Come to my room in fifteen minutes, and bring some board games or something." Grima replied, and Aversa's earrings stopped glowing to signify the conversation was over.

Aversa sighed and pondered if children still enjoyed jigsaw puzzles.

* * *

**After enjoying a breakfast with Leraie, Severa and Lucina were shown the way out of the Thabian Labyrinths. This involved a teleportation rune with the Mark of the Exalt on it, for some reason. Now, they found themselves walking along the sands of the desert and trying to find something to talk about.

"She seemed nice," Severa spoke after half-an-hour of silence. Vast stretches of sand lined the horizon, with the burning sun hanging in the sky and making them worry about sunburn.

Lucina nodded in response, then another long period of silence followed. This continued as they trudged along until a distinct sound was heard. The sound of a flute note being played. "You hear that?" Severa asked as her ears perked up. Her forehead was covered with sweat.

"I thought I was losing my mind from the heat..." Lucina spoke as she bent over to catch her breath. "We've been wandering for so long… Do you think we're any closer to home?"

"I don't know." Severa took a break as well. "I do know that someone must be nearby." Severa followed her ears towards a large dune of sand as the sounds grew louder. When they surmounted the dune, they were greeted with the sight of a beautiful oasis, and a group of risen sitting at the water's edge. Verdant trees lined the pool of water; a safe haven in the dry desert.

Severa and Lucina quickly ducked back behind the hill, out of sight of the risen.

"What should we do?" Lucina asked. For all she knew, those risen could be feral or passive. But the water of the oasis would do wonders for her aching throat.

The flute continued to play as Severa poked her head past the top of the dune.

"We have to try. Either we die by thirst, risen, or nothing." Severa mumbled as she leaped over the top of the dune, then yelled in surprise as she slid down the other side of it. She positioned her feet as though she was riding a snowboard, and slid down the side as her fear turned to gusto.

The risen sitting around the oasis turned and watched as she slid closer and closer. Their eyes were blue, and one of them held a flute up to his mouth. Severa skidded to a stop before the risen and waved. "Morning, gentlemen."

"Hello…" They waved back with the speed and energy of a corpse. Severa smiled as she walked past and lowered her head to the pool of water, lapping it up as though she was a hound. "Do you want a cup?" One of the risen asked as he pulled out a glass from his coat.

Severa turned to face him and raised her eyebrow.

"...Sure." She walked up and took the cup out of his hands. "Thank you." She spoke as she downed a cup of water while her aching throat began to soothe. "What song are you playing on the flute?"

"Well, it's funny that you ask..." The risen holding a flute spoke while Severa returned the cup to its owner. "A name for this tune escapes me…"

"I'll save you, Severa!" Severa looked to the nearby sand hill and saw Lucina tumble her way down with all the grace of a pegasus descending a staircase. She landed in a sand-covered heap and eventually picked herself up. She unsheathed her sword and glared at the risen with a furious stare. "What did you monsters do to her?"

"Hey! Lucy, slow down! These guys are friendly!" Severa held her arms up and ran to Lucina's side. Lucina looked to one risen cowering at the sight of her blade, and another holding a flute in self-defense.

"...I suppose you're right." Lucina sheathed her blade and held her hands up. "I apologize for the aggression."

"It's all right… We'd be suspicious of you if we were in your sand-filled boots…" The glass-owning risen offered Lucina his cup, who gladly accepted it and took multiple drinks of the oasis water.

"Moving on… Do you mind if I play the tune again, to see if a name comes to me?" The flute-carrying risen asked Severa.

"Go right ahead." Severa sat down on the sand to catch her breath as she looked around at the green foliage. The flute-player resumed playing his tune while Lucina returned the glass and sat down next to Severa.

Eventually, Severa heard enough to think of a name. "How about… A Thousand Yalms Away?"

"Hmm… That's quite good." The flute-player stopped his tune and smiled. "Yes, that has quite a nice ring to it… Do you mind if I credit you for the name?"

"Yeah, sure. You can take credit for it." Severa smiled along with the risen.

"I still feel as though I should reward you…" The risen began to fumble with his cloak and pulled out a small jar. "At the capital, there's a bar I long to play for… This drink is their specialty…" He handed the jar to Severa, who recognized it from her stint in Ylisstol. "Here, as thanks for naming my tune…"

"Hey, isn't this from the Grimleal Grotto?" Severa asked as she put the jar in her bag.

"You've been there? Then you must've seen the wonderful bands that play there… One day, I shall be there…" The risen beamed with delight through his mask.

"I'm sure you'll do great." Severa smiled back as the risen resumed to play his song.

"So what are you all doing here in the middle of nowhere?" Lucina asked.

"We're on break..." One risen responded.

"B-break? Where do you work?" Lucina continued her questions.

"At the fuel station for the Specter Express... Over there…" Another risen pointed to a black dot on the horizon.

"What's the Specter Express?" Severa asked, then heard the sound of many footsteps pressing against the sand. A group of men approached, all of them wearing metallic helmets and armor. Their eyes were covered by red goggles, and their formation was nowhere near human. They marched as one, like an otherworldly being and not a group of men.

"Oh no…" One risen spoke as he scurried away. Others followed, except the one who played the flute. The men circle Severa and Lucina as they drew their weapons. Iron clubs that crackled with lightning that danced up and down their shafts.

"Hold!" The men spoke as one. Severa and Lucina tensed their shoulders as they realized they were surrounded. "You are under arrest under the orders of Grima! Lay down your arms and come with us before somebody gets hurt!"

"Alright, alright…" Severa sighed as she raised one hand, then fumbled with her bag with the other. If she could grab her drink and engage her powers, she could-

"Hands where I can see them, miss!" The circle of men tightened as Severa brought her other hand back up. Their electric clubs were uncomfortably close to Severa and Lucina.

"Hey, you can't do that!" The flute-playing risen yelled as he walked up to the circle.

"Sir, this doesn't concern you! Just return to your station and resume your duties!" The men spoke; half of them turned their clubs toward the risen.

"B-but…"

"That's an order!" The risen shirked away with a meek stare. He whispered an apology as he hurried away.

The electricity of the clubs stopped, and two of the men held Lucina and Severa by their wrists.

"Hey! Hands off!" Severa struggled to break through their cold, iron grip, but to no avail. The group began to march and push them along towards the black dot on the horizon, and the captivity that followed.


	40. S Act II: A Funeral of Flowers Part IV

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section B

A Funeral of Flowers

Part IV

Author's note: I recommend listening to _The Factory Of A Better Tomorrow_ from _LittleBigPlanet 2_ when you see one * mark.

* * *

As Severa and Lucina were marched along across the vast desert, the sky's azure warmth, painted lovingly stroke by stroke on the canvas of the horizon, was now stained by splotches of ink spilled upon it, darkening the sky and turning it into a swirling mess of purple and black. The source of this ink stook out like a sore thumb.

Against the sky was a massive, black building that instilled a commanding aura. Large chimneys jutted out and sputtered a foul, sickly smog that poisoned the horizon and made Lucina's stomach turn.

"What is this place?" Lucina asked her captors as they circled her in a march. Her wrists chafed from being restrained for so long.

No response.

"Where the hell are you taking us?" Severa blurted out. Her furrowed brow and tone assured Lucina that she was ready to strangle one of these men without hesitation.

"Lady Severa! We are taking you and your friend to a holding cell." One man spoke as they continued to march.

As they neared the building, the stench of… something indescribable made their stomachs wretch and writhe. Lucina had seen one hundred men die, countless corpses piled upon in her castle, and even tasted her brother's cooking, but none of those could compare to this… disgusting odor that pierced her nostrils.

Severa wretched and moaned as she struggled to cover her nostrils with her restrained hands. She noticed the armored men reaching into their pockets and pulling out face masks that covered their nostrils. One man pulled out a spare mask and fitted it over Lucina's face while she squirmed.

The leather strap that kept the mask affixed to her face rubbed against the back of her head, but it was a small price to pay for saving her sense of smell. The mask seemed to have a supply of air stored in it that allowed her to breathe, and Severa seemed to be wearing the same mask.

"I'd rather eat horse dung then wear this horrible mask!" Her muffled voice whined from inside the mask.

One man bit his tongue and almost yelled at her before his comrade patted him on the shoulder and nodded his head as an act of sympathy.

As they neared closer and closer, the sand on the ground turned into a sickly green before it eventually gave way to man-made stone. Severa's complaining had grown so grating that even Lucina wanted to yell at her.

The massive building grew closer and closer until they stood before the doors, which were easily thrice Lucina's height. The exterior design of the square building left little to the imagination; it looked like a square block with yellow windows plastered on it. The land around it was full of pits of sand and black sludge that looked absolutely foul. Pipes jutted out from the landscape, all of which were sucking the sludge out of the pits and into the building.

One of the guards swiped a small card through a machine next to the doors, causing them to slowly swing open. Lucina and Severa were shuffled out of the wasteland outside and to a small, metallic hallway that gave them claustrophobia from how compacted everyone was inside of it.

"Preparing quarantine." One man spoke as the doors behind were shut. Lucina looked up to see the dark ceiling hanging high above. After a few seconds, the men took their masks off and took a deep breath.

"Lady Severa, you can breathe safely now." Another man spoke as Severa quickly took the mask off and threw it at the ground. Lucina removed hers and brusquely handed it to the closest guard. Her nostrils were not assaulted by the foul smell from before, but now smelt a scent that reminded her of a forge.

The opposing doors swung open to reveal a shocking sight. A gigantic, complex area full of risen going to and from various machinery. The fires from towering forges lit the room as they were shepherded onto a walkway above the room. They looked down in shocked awe at the countless risen doing what seemed to be their jobs. Hammering steel, carrying buckets, pushing carts, and more tasks that seemed too demeaning for the average man.

Whereas the sight was appealing just from the crudeness of it all, the sound was what made their skin crawl. Steel slamming against steel, flames billowing with the rage of a sun, loud, spinning objects that dug into open pockets of sand and extracted more of that black sludge. It was as though the earth itself was crying out in pain while her blood was forcibly siphoned.

"What the hell are you doing?" Severa asked as they continued along the walkway.

"Harvesting fuel." One man answered as they stood before another gray door and entered. They walked into another hallway, now with more space to accommodate and a staircase to the left.

"Take her to the lower cells." Another guard pointed to Lucina. "They're too dangerous when together."

"No." Severa quickly replied in shock as she wrestled her arms out and grabbed Lucina's shoulders. "No, you're not splitting us up!" The guards tried to pry her fingers off of Lucina but to no avail. "I won't let you take her from me!" She screamed.

The same guard who bit his lip now glared with the rage of a thousand suns as he grabbed his stun baton. Lightning danced up and down the weapon as he brandished it before Severa.

"Private Dennings! Do not even think about harming the daughter of the Creator!" The other guards grabbed their electric batons and aimed them at the panicking young man.

"She just won't! Shut! Up! We've been walking with this spoiled brat for _hours_!" Dennings screamed as he aimed his baton at Severa, who glared back with even more rage behind her eyes.

"How about you take your fancy baton and jam it up your arse-" Severa yelled back, causing Private Dennings to scream in anger as he jabbed Severa with the baton. She convulsed and spasmed as he continued to jam the electric weapon against her side until he was pulled back by his comrades.

Severa collapsed on the floor in a heap while Lucina screamed. She ducked down and immediately checked her pulse to confirm that her heart was still beating. The guards above had devolved into a disarray of chaos as they tried to apprehend their rogue comrade, all the while unaware of the prisoner at their feet and crawling in-between their legs. Lucina slipped out of the crowd and bolted down the staircase. Her footsteps were muffled by the commotion.

"Enough!" A loud voice boomed through the hallway. The guards stopped their quarrel at a moment's notice and lined up single-file in a line that stretched from one end of the hallway to the other.

At the other end of the hallway, standing imposingly tall and with a frame that almost took up the width of the corridor, stood a man clad in red armor with a golden trim. The horns on his visor, which covered his face entirely, made him resemble a demon. At his side was a massive lance and an equally as large shield.

In the center of his armor and beating like a heart was a blue crystal that shone with a brilliant light.

Before he could even ask which groveling worm had incapacitated the VIP, his soldiers shoved out the culprit and tightened their ranks behind him. The insubordinate cur desperately tried to hide behind his comrades. "What are you doing, private?" The armored man asked. He strode forward; every step he took shook the hallway. His tattered cape flowed behind him and dragged along the floor. The ends of the cape were lined with a white fluff that resembled wool, only it was partially stained black.

"N-n-n-n-nothing sir! I was just… uh…" Dennings gulped and leaned against the walls of his comrades, who were trembling as much as he was.

"Betraying my commands and harming the girl." He bellowed in a low voice that made the soldiers' guts sink.

"But sir, you don't u-u-u-nderstand she was driving us craz-" Dennings stood up slightly, only to be grabbed by the neck and lifted up by his commander.

"I don't understand, do I?" He held the squirming soldier a good distance above the ground. The other troops backed up in horror. "Do you know how many battles I've seen? How many soldiers I've seen lay down their lives for my conquests? I've dealt with tiresome bugs before, and I am currently in the presence of one now." He felt Dennings' neck tighten in his grip. "A soldier does not disobey orders. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-yes sir!" Dennings croaked out before he was thrown to the wayside and slammed against the wall. Dennings' face was now beet-red as he slowly got to his feet while his commander faced the opposite direction. His fists trembled with rage as he reached for his baton.

He screamed in rage as he jabbed his electrified baton at his commander. Years of being ordered around by his superiors wheeled through his mind as he watched lightning jump from his weapon to all around his commander's armor.  
He would never realize that was his life flashing before his eyes. His commander bellowed a laugh; unfazed as he turned around.

"Striking while your foe's back is turned?" He reached for his lance. "Pitiful, Dennings. Even for a pebble such as yourself."

All Lucina heard as she thundered down the staircase was the familiar scream of a man enjoying his last breath. It was not Severa's voice, thank the gods, but it was still unnerving all the same.

The commander raised his lance and inspected the blood on it. His once stainless weapon was now tainted by coward's blood. Blood that did not deserve the honor to stain his arms. He would need to wash it off later. "Feed the body to the ferals." He stepped over Dennings' corpse and didn't bother to look at the gaping hole in its chest. His gaze turned to the unconscious daughter of his lord, lying on the floor like a rug. "And bring the girl to the holding cell until Grima arrives."

What the commander didn't notice were the broken shards of glass that laid on the floor near Severa's back pocket, and the purple liquid on the ground that seeped into the open cut on her back. A few seconds had passed before the commander found a sword lying on the floor. It was a regal blade with a hole near the hilt, and it was the very same sword that had killed the commander in his previous life.

"Where is the other girl?" The commander lifted the sword up and slowly looked the room. Their second prisoner was no longer with them, and the sounds of someone thundering down the staircase echoed through the hallway. "She cannot be allowed to escape. _Find her_." His voice crackled with rage at the mere mention of his nemesis.

*Lucina scrambled down the staircase and to the bottom floor where she ran to the exit, pushed it open with her shoulder, then stumbled onto the assembly floor of this 'harvesting' place. The smell of flames and ash returned, along with bewildered looks of the workers as Lucina simply stood there.

She tried to scan from wall to wall, realized the floor was so large that she couldn't see more than one wall, then promptly scrambled past the workers in a panic. The guards must know that she was missing by now, and anxiety squeezed her lungs as she continued to run past the forges. Vibrant flames danced all around her and sparks created from the swings of hammers upon steel threatened to burn her.

Her panic-inducing escape was stopped when she careened into a bulky man wearing a cloak. She fell back on her rear while he simply stood there, back turned and slowly breathing. With the agility of a mountain, he slowly turned around to look at her.

The first thing Lucina noticed was his purple skin that jutted out from the fingers of his work gloves. She also noticed that he wore a mask and had bright, blue eyes that shone in the dark.

"Little one, you seem lost." The risen spoke with a rasp as he folded his arms. His accent sounded unlike anything Lucina had heard before. "You do not belong here."

"I'm sorry, sir. I was just-" Her mind raced from her escape to Severa's capture to-

A loud, whirring sound interrupted Lucina and made her gut sink as she got to her feet. Red lights illuminated the whole floor as the risen sighed.

"Stay close to me." He outstretched one arm, creating a person-sized space next to his body with his cloak.

"Attention all workers! Mandatory inspection at the front of the refinery!" A voice yelled out from the front as Lucina shuffled next to her new protector. He covered her with his cloak, leaving her with no sight and the stench of a corpse protecting her. She moved forward in lockstep with his feet for a while until he slowly stopped. "Everybody line up! Single file!" She could hear the familiar voices of the soldiers, now muffled through the cloak.

Sweat trickled down her face, not only from the heat of the forges, but the suspense if she would be found or not. "We're looking for a girl with blue hair." Another guard (presumably) spoke.

"I saw… a girl… run that way…" A different voice spoke. Footsteps followed.

"What do you want with girl anyway?" Lucina's protector spoke. She winced.

"The Creator wants her. No further questions." A guard spoke. Lucina felt as though the walls of the cloak would crush her. "Why are you covering your cloak like that?"

"It is chilly."

"We're standing next to a forge."

"And your heart still beats in your body." Her protector's tone grew colder and colder with every word. "I could change that if you want. Just open my cloak and let us see if tiny man can survive being thrown into forge."

Lucina heard the sound of an electric stick turning on.

"Don't. Threaten. Me. Worker."

The cloak ruffled and now Lucina could hear the sounds of someone gasping for air.

"My name is Gregor. You would be wise to remember it." The edge of the cloak lifted slightly up. A thumping sound was heard, as though something was being dropped, and then frantic footsteps that grew quieter and quieter. Lucina's eyes widened.

"Inspection has concluded. Go back to your stations and resume work. May the Creator guide your hands." Another voice yelled out, then the grumbles of the workers resumed as her protector just stood in place.

"Little one, follow my lead." He whispered into his cloaked as he turned around and walked forward. Lucina followed in lockstep, her mind racing to various conclusions regarding her protector's name.

They stopped after a few minutes and Gregor lifted his arm up, allowing Lucina to leave the confines of his cloak. She stepped out, coughed, then looked around. All around were shelves that stretched to the ceiling, and forges placed at set intervals. About twenty feet away from them was another forge and a man hammering an anvil, and behind that man was another. She turned her gaze from her surroundings to Gregor's eyes.

"Gregor?" This man certainly looked like her mother's friend from Tutidomas and even had the same accent, but he was much taller than him. "Is that you? Thanks for the help, by the way."

"That is my name. I do not think we have met." Even when he talked he was moving to a crate full of steel bars and lifting one up, always at work.

"It's me, Lucina. From Tutidomas." His blank stare didn't answer anything. "Chrom and Olivia's daughter?"

"Who is this Crumb you speak of? I know no Crumbs besides the ones I eat." He replied as he placed the steel bar on a heated anvil. In his other hand was a hammer.

"No, _Chrom_. The Exalt of Ylisse and my father." The heat from the forge made Lucina sweat as Gregor slid the tip of the steel bar into the furnace.

"When I was alive, the exalt was certainly not named Chrom. His name escapes me, but I remember he was quite a bloody man."

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you di-"

"Before I answer more questions, I ask that you help me hammer metal into sword." Gregor pulled the steel bar out of the forge, tip now searing hot, and placed it on the anvil. He motioned for Lucina to stand next to him and she promptly did. "Hold metal down like this." He handed her a pair of steel tongs that already clasped the base of the bar. She gripped the tongs and held the bar still as he lifted a spare hammer up high then slammed it down at the tip.

Sparks flew in every which way from the impact while Lucina winced. She used all her strength to keep the bar from bucking upwards, and had none left when Gregor swung again.

She yelped as the tongs flew from her grip along with the bar, which flew up and smacked Gregor in the face. The heated tip landing on the ground and sputtered out.

"Oh, gods I'm so sorry I don't knowwhathappenedandIjust-" Lucina spoke with a panicked tone as she rushed to his side only to see that Gregor was laughing.

"You worry too much, little one." A bug crawled out of the side of his mask and jittered around on his face, which suffered no damage from the strike. "I have seen my share of bumps and bruises."

"I don't think I can hold the steel down." Lucina sighed and looked to the bar on the floor, now cooled and misshapen.

"Then you can hammer." Gregor smiled as he pulled a fresh bar of steel out, placed it in the forge with his bare hands, then waited. While he waited, he grabbed a stone block from the shelf and placed it on the anvil. Lucina looked at the block while he tended the forge, noting that it was a mold for smithing a sword.

Gregor placed the steel bar in the mold with the heated tip where the point of the sword was, then handed Lucina his hammer. "Swing this with might of ferocious bear."

He used one hand to hold the mold down while Lucina swung the hammer onto the tip, flattening it into the mold. She swung again, and again, and again until the tip resembled a sword. "Now we must slide guard on." Gregor reached to the shelf and pulled a basic hilt and a small pole. He slid the pole into the base of the bar and covered it with the hit. "Hammer here."

Lucina swung her mallet down and affixed the hilt to the sword, which had cooled and gained a pointed tip. Once the hilt was secured, Gregor held it up against the light of the forge. "A fine tool." He brusquely tossed it behind him without looking. "Now we must make one-hundred more."

Lucina's agape jaw was the only response Gregor needed as he chuckled to himself. Without wasting a second, he reached into the pile of bars and threw it into the forge. Lucina watched in shocked disbelief as he waited, then placed the now-heated bar on the anvil as though this was the first one. "Do not just stand there. Hammer it."

An hour passed. At least she thought it was an hour. A slow, exhausting rhythm of smelting had formed. Grab bar. Forge. Wait. Hammer. Toss.

" _Grab._ " She thought as she watched Gregor pull out another bar from his seemingly-bottomless shelf. " _Forge._ " Her legs ached. " _Wait._ " How much longer was this going to continue?

Her mind wandered. During this rhythm, she had asked Gregor how he died. His response was that he died protecting his brother, Harold, from bandits.

"Little one, aren't you forgetting to do something?" Gregor asked as he looked to the burning steel bar on the anvil. Lucina swung her hammer down with the enthusiasm of a middle-aged housewife and watched as Gregor tossed the newly-formed sword into a large pile. "You look as though you have seen a ghost."

Lucina tried to crack a smile at his irony as he caught onto the joke. "I meant figuratively. You must be thinking of leaving, yes?" She nodded in response. Her aching throat prevented her from speaking. "Don't. Making yourself miserable only makes the time go by slower than molasses."

"I guess…" Lucina croaked out as she wiped her brow. "But I shouldn't be here."

"That's what they all say. Trust me, nobody gets out of here." Gregor looked to the pile of swords that almost reached his height. "Bring these swords to the front." He lifted them all up as though he was carrying a pile of leaves and dumped them onto a cart. He then pointed towards the front wall of the factory.

"But the guards are still searching for me." Lucina would question why he can't do it then realize that he had been doing more work than her. The stoic look in his eyes betrayed his tired movements.

"They've surely given up by now. Just keep your head down in case they see you." He watched as Lucina grabbed the handles of the cart that allowed one to push it, then struggled to push said cart. Eventually, she got it to move. Slowly, but it was moving. "I believe in you, little one." He smiled and patted her on the back as she slowly pushed the cart forward.

With a grunt every few seconds, Lucina continued to push the cart towards the front with all the strength she could muster. As she pushed it down the endless hallways, her gaze turned to her surroundings to see countless risen hammering away at their anvils.

Some were making shields. Some were making tools. All of them had the same rhythm. Grab. Forge. Wait. Hammer. Toss. Grab. Forge. Wait. Hammer. Tos-

Lucina shook her head as her vision became blurred. All around her, the same lifeless motions, the same lifeless faces, the same lifeless people hammering away at their lifeless tasks.

Eventually, she brought the cart to the front, where she saw a desk built into the wall with a man standing behind it. He was also a risen, and his nametag read that he was known as Vasto.

"Dropping off, little lady?" He spoke with a disinterested rasp. What kind of life did he have before he wound up here?

"Yes. Do I just leave the cart here or-" She asked before Vasto began to lean in closely.

"New here? Figures they always make me deal with the greenhorns." He rolled his eyes as he pointed to a large hole in the wall. "Just dump those swords in there."

Lucina pushed the cart to the hole and tried her best to lift it up, but could not. Vasto, meanwhile, was focusing on her hair. How many people had he seen with that deep shade of blue? Only one, the man who had killed hi-

"Could I have some help please?" Lucina asked as Vasto began to glare. Surely this girl wasn't related to the Exalt. Vasto left his spot at the desk and helped her lift the cart up. After a short while, they succeeded in lifting the cart and tipped it at an angle so the swords slid down into the hole.

"Little lady, do you have any relatives?" He smiled a false sense of security while his mind was brought back to that painful day at Breakneck Pass.

"Well, my father is Chrom, the Exalt of Ylisse-" Lucina noticed that his masked face twitched and his fingers clenched.

"The same Chrom who killed me?" He took a step forward as he leaned over her.

"I-I don't know sir." She backed up against the wall. "Maybe my father had a good reason to k-kill you-" Her mouth slipped and she regretted every word that came out. She reached for her sword only to panic when she found that it was not at her side.

"And I guess I have a good reason to toss you into this chute!" He grabbed her wrists and attempted to push her towards the hole in the wall. She struggled and screamed, and fought back with all of her remaining strength. She planted her foot squarely in his crotch with a kick but he was undeterred. The hole grew closer and closer while Lucina's fear rose as well. "Stop struggling and die already you little shi-"

A massive hand wrapped around Vasto's neck from behind and squeezed the air out of his throat. He kicked and tried to punch the hand lifting him up, but could not stop his demise.

"What sort of coward preys on unarmed women?" Gregor spoke in a deep tone as he lifted Vasto off the ground. Lucina scrambled away and watched from a safe distance, panting for breath.

"Oh, buzz off with that self-righteous shite you-" Vasto could hardly finish his insult before Gregor punched him in the head, knocking him out cold. A collection of workers had gathered around to see the scuffle and cheered as Gregor held Vasto up like a trophy.

"Shall I show this creep how we deal with punks?" Gregor looked around at the applauding crowd while he bent on one knee. He presented Vasto's body above his knee, aiming his back where the joint of his knee was.

"Yes!" The crowd chanted. Gregor smiled like a child in a candy shop as he brought Vasto upon his knee.

"Hold!" A voice boomed out. Gregor stopped right before Vasto hit his knee to see a man clad in red armor standing before him. "Gregor, what do you think you are doing?"

"Ah, Foreman." Gregor dropped Vasto like a sack of potatoes and knelt down. Lucina watched from the safety of the crowd, barely able to see this Foreman no matter how tall he was. "I was just dealing with insubordinate punk who tried to toss my apprentice into chute right there."

"I see." The foreman mumbled. Lucina noticed that her sword was at his hip, glinting off the ceiling lights from above. "I salute you for dealing with these insubordinate curs without my intervention."

"The pleasure is mine, sir."

Right as Gregor finished his sentence, the lights above darkened. Darkness overtook the floor, then chaos as the workers couldn't see anything and scrambled about. The Foreman simply stood and barked orders, remaining steadfast until he felt a hand grab the sword of his nemesis and pull it away from him.

"Who took her sword?" He barked out, turning in the direction of the hands. The only response was confused shoutings from the workers and soldiers as panic continued.

Lucina scrambled down what she assumed was a hallway with her sword returned to her grasp. She missed the comforting warmth of its steel, almost as though it was an extension of her father. She eventually stopped running after a while, only to be yanked to the side by an unknown hand.

She yelped before another hand covered her mouth and a shushing sound was heard. A lantern flickered to life, revealing she was in a small alcove next to a long, dark hallway, and that Gregor was covering her mouth.

"Shh! We are escaping!" He whispered while his body was illuminated by the red light of the lantern.


	41. S Act II: A Funeral of Flowers Part V

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section B

A Funeral of Flowers

Part V

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Factory Inspection_ from _Kirby 64_ when you see one* mark, and _Factory Inspection_ from _Kirby: Planet Robobot_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

*Lucina and Gregor's footsteps thundered and echoed down the hallway as they ran. Their path was illuminated by a dim, crimson light that only showed them what was right in front of them.

"Do you know where we're going?" Lucina asked as they approached a corner.

"Before we can escape, we must find key from guard," Gregor replied. "Stop. Let me check if corner is clear." Gregor went ahead past the corner, Lucina could only see the glow of the lantern, that is until it dimmed and left her in pitch blackness.

Footsteps approached and she felt Gregor's hand grab her by the shoulder. "We must hide!" He quickly brought her to the wall of the hallway and pressed his back against what she assumed were pipes jutting along the walls. Lucina followed his lead and her heartbeat climbed at the thought of what monstrosity was beyond the turn. "You must hold your breath."

Lucina covered her mouth and watched in fear as a pair of red eyes appeared from the corner. Then another, and another. Soon a dozen red eyes appeared and were looking around. The sounds of risen grunting and shambling followed as the eyes walked past. Lucina could feel her chest tightening as she struggled to breathe; there were too many to take head-on.

"Who turned… the lights out?" One feral risen mumbled.

"I don't… think it was one of us…" Another replied. They resumed their silent shambling.

Gregor's breathing was as quiet as hers; they both waited for the risen to pass. Once the shambling corpses were a good distance away, they took a deep breath and slowly walked away.

"Thank you for the warning," Lucina whispered. While they walked away, Lucina did not notice that the steel plate on the floor she was about to step on was loose.

A loud screeching sound filled the hallway as Lucina put her foot down and felt it shift downward, causing the hairs on Lucina's back to stand on edge. She looked down to see a steel plate wobbling as she lifted her foot from it. She winced as she turned to Gregor.

"Oh, godsdamnit…" Gregor slowly turned around and saw the beady red eyes had turned as well, now focusing right on the two.

The risen let out a foul, collective screech that pierced Lucina and Gregor's eardrums. The eyes scrambled toward them before they began to run down the hallways. Lucina turned her head and saw the risen scrambling right behind her; panic seized her movements as all she could focus on was the hallway ahead. "This way, little one!" Gregor turned his lantern back on, returning the crimson light and showing that there was a large door ahead.

Right before they approached the door, which consisted of two sliding walls, Gregor picked up his pace and forced the door open with a mighty yell. "Go! I will be fine!" Lucina hurriedly slipped past him and watched from the other side of the door as the feral risen attacked Gregor. Some jumped onto him, tearing and biting at his flesh while the others crowded like a murder of crows. She continued to watch as he almost fell to his knees.

She brought her hands to her blade, ready to strike until she noticed Gregor fight back to his feet. "Ha! You beasts think to fell me with puny claws?" Gregor closed the door and Lucina simply heard the following battle. "Take that! And that!" Gregor's muffled voice broke through the closed door along with the sound of a risen getting slammed against the wall.

A couple of seconds passed before the door slowly creaked open, revealing a triumphant Gregor covered with scars and standing amongst six risen lying on the ground. He closed the door behind him and dusted his hands. "And that is how we settle it in the motherland!"

Lucina smiled in response then followed his lead.

"Couldn't we have just fought them before the door?" Lucina asked as they continued down the hallway.

"I do not know where this newfound strength came from, but it certainly helped," Gregor replied. "I think it is called adrenaline," Lucina remembered the night her mother was taken from her; she could still feel the adrenaline pumping in her veins as she charged Grima's domain.

Lucina and Gregor continued in silence until they noticed orange light bursting out of a room at the end of the hallway. Gregor dimmed his lantern and went inside to make sure it was clear. He poked his head out and nodded, Lucina followed inside.

Searing heat blasted her face as she entered the room. She looked out to see the source of the heat: massive steel columns that leaned against the back of the wall. Long waterfalls of black sludge fell into the top of the column, where it was funneled inside and apparently heated by the red crystals underneath the column. They stood on a raised platform; between them and the columns was a wide valley of steel.

Lucina's eyes shifted to a pipe at the bottom of the column, where bright, orange sludge was led out of the column and along the wall. "This must be where they make fuel for train."

"A train?" Lucina asked. "What's that?"

"I would not know. I have only heard stories of this so-called train." Gregor looked down to the floor. "It is supposedly a large, moving snake of steel that runs on tracks along ground. Its mouth erupts into smoke whenever it whistles."

Lucina's mind ran rampant as she imagined what this monstrosity was. Gregor, however, was focused on the floor below them.

"If this is where Grima produces fuel and weapons, then why does he need this massive building?" Lucina asked.

"Come here and you shall see." Gregor beckoned with his fingers. Lucina stood next to him and looked down to see mobs of risen being herded like cattle by guards. The ones with red eyes had collars affixed to them to prevent them from attacking the guards. "This is not just a place to create fuel and weapons. It is a prison."

Lucina simply looked down in shock at migration below. Risen women and children were herded along as well. Whatever surprise she felt at this sight was ten-folded by Gregor, whose jaw was agape. Lucina's mind was elsewhere.

"That must be where they're keeping Severa…" She mumbled.

"Look!" Gregor pointed to a risen child being torn from his mother's arms by a guard. "Such wanton disrespect for my people! We must do something!" Gregor looked at Lucina with uncharacteristically scared eyes.

"I…" Lucina's mind stopped; if last week someone told her that she would eventually care for the well-being of risen, she would have slapped them. The same monsters that tore her friends and family from her, now having their own friends and family torn from them. "What can we do?" She looked around and saw no way to reach the ground floor. No stairs, no ladders, nothing but a sharp, lethal drop.

"You might not be able to do something…" Gregor turned his focus to the floor below. "But I can." With nary a single breath, Gregor jumped from the cliff and onto the ground.

The guards' stopped in their tracks and drew their batons as their focus shifted to this massive wall of a man. "My name is Gregor. Let my people free."

"Restrain him." One guard whispered to his compatriot, who charged Gregor with his baton raised. Electricity crackled from the weapon as the guard jammed it into Gregor's side.

Gregor looked to his hip and laughed. A deep, bellowing laugh that confused the soldier whose gaze turned to his eyes. "I applaud your attempt." Before the guard could even blink, Gregor grabbed him by his face and lifted him above the ground. "But I will not buckle until all of my people are free!" Gregor hurled the guard back towards his unit like a dart to a target. Several guards tumbled to the ground, allowing their captive risen to scamper free.

Lucina watched the scene unfold from above, but her true focus remained on how she was going to reach Gregor. Surely, he couldn't defeat all those guards on his own. Her eyes scanned around, eventually settling on a door to her left at the end of the raised platform.

She hurried inside, discovering a hallway similar to the one above the main factory floor that she was taken to. That felt like ages ago, despite that surely only a few hours had passed since her escape. In the hallway, she found a staircase leading down to hopefully the floor Gregor was on.

She quickly ran down the staircase, sword in hand, and stopped at the ground floor. Lucina found a door leading out of the hallway then pushed it open, revealing that she was indeed on the ground floor. Her eyes immediately focused on Gregor, who had guards swarming him like flies.

"Get the restraining collar!" One yelled as he wrapped his hands around Gregor's neck, barely holding onto him as though he were a bucking mare.

"Cage the beast!" Another guard barked as he stood in front of a panicking family of risen. His focus turned to them as he brandished his baton; blue light illuminated their masks on their terrified faces.

Before the guard could discipline the family into returning to their cells, he felt something knock his baton out of his hands and onto the ground. He looked up in shock from the baton to see a girl with blue hair standing between him and the prisoners. Her sword was drawn and aimed at his heart.

"Let them go." She growled. He held his hands up and noticed that she was pointing to the hallway.

"Alright, alright. I'll go." He mumbled but noticed that she was looking at the family instead of him.

"I didn't mean you," Lucina replied, then threw her right fist into the guard's jaw and sent him tumbling to the floor. She then turned back to the family. "There's a hallway back there. Go up the stairs and take the next right. That's where the factory floor is; you'll be safe there."

"Bless your heart, miss." The mother of the family spoke as she scrambled away with her family in tow. Lucina watched them depart with a strange feeling of joy in her heart, then looked to the ground and noticed the guard's neglected baton.

"Where is that damn collar?" She heard one of the remaining guards yell; his voice strained as she assumed he struggled to restrain Gregor. A quick glance confirmed that her suspicions were true; several guards were strewn about the floor and one had Gregor's hands wrapped around his neck.

"Give me one good reason to not crush your puny neck," Gregor growled into the man's ear, who let out a shrill yelp as he felt Gregor's hands close around his windpipe.

"Because if you kill him, we're no better than they are, Lucina replied as she stepped over the unconscious bodies of the guards.

"Ah, there you are, little one." Gregor's eyes shifted up to Lucina and he smiled.

"Maybe we could interrogate this one to find out where Severa is-" Before Lucina could finish speaking, Gregor twisted the neck of the guard in his grasp. A loud snap echoed throughout the room as Lucina's mouth went agape and she dropped her baton out of shock.

"I just had to finish up some business."

"G-Gregor! Y-you can't just kill a man!" Lucina stammered. Although she was sure her father had killed quite a few dozen men, her mother had always taught her that ending a human life was never a good idea.

"Why not? He would have killed me. He would've killed you." Gregor stood up and tossed the corpse aside like it was nothing.

Lucina tried to formulate a response but nothing came to mind. Instead, she just stood there, wondering what her mother would think of her rationalizing murd-

" _Self-defense_." She corrected herself. Surely, her father didn't teach her swordplay just so she could be a pacifist.

"Little one, have you ever killed a man before?" Gregor asked as he stood before Lucina with a calm look.

"Once, back when my friend was captured by the Grimleal. We had to cut down the cultists to get to her." Lucina replied, remembering the day of both Cordelia's death and when they briefly lost Severa.

"And why was that different from right now?" Gregor leaned down to match her eye level.

"I… I don't know."

"Yes, and surely you can justify what I just di-"

"Listen, Gregor, I just-!" Lucina stopped herself as her mind raced. "I don't know why, but it just doesn't feel right to kill a defenseless man like that."

"...I see." Gregor sighed, then began to rummage through a nearby corpse and found a keycard. "We shall talk about this later once we find your friend and leave this accursed pla-"

**A screech echoed from nearby. A foul noise that sounded neither human or risen. "I do not like the sound of that," Gregor mumbled as he clutched the keycard to his chest and pointed to a nearby door. "Whatever made that sound must be clo-"

Again, the screech assaulted their eardrums, now louder and sounding as though the source was ready to strike them at a moment's notice. Gregor quickly tore off towards the nearby hallway; Lucina followed closely while her fears filled in the gaps of what was making that noise.

Her mind eventually settled on some bizarre amalgamation of risen flesh that had broken free from its cell and was hungry for food. Little did she know, the actual answer was something worse.

The orange light of the boiler room was gone, leaving Gregor and Lucina running in a hallway covered in darkness while _something_ followed them from behind. Its claw marks scratched along the metal floors, pounding Lucina's eardrums while she ran. Eventually, the thing picked up its speed and followed at what Lucina assumed was faster than her running speed.

"Where are we going?" Lucina yelled to who she assumed was Gregor; she couldn't even see past her own nose. Blood rushed through her veins as she ignored her tired legs.

"I… I do not know, little one!" Gregor's voice cracked. Lucina wasn't sure if that was scarier than the thing chasing them. She looked behind her to verify if this thing was right behind her, but all she could see was darkness looming towards her.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she approached a wall. She could not see that there was a turn and screamed as she felt a hand grab her and lead her along. Gregor's face appeared before her as they ran to the right. "I think there is another door this way!" Gregor used his other hand to light his lantern, bathing their surroundings in a crimson light.

However, even with this light, Lucina could not see what was chasing them. "I see it! Up there!" Gregor pointed to another metal door that was dead ahead but closed shut due to the lack of power. Gregor took the lead and jammed his hands into the crevice between the metal plates.

With a long groan, he forced it open and kept it that way. "Go! I'll be right behind you!" He turned his head to Lucina; she could see the strain on his face. Lucina slipped past the door into the next hallway then quickly turned around to see Gregor continuing to hold it open.

The thing let out a terrifying scream, now louder than ever as Gregor felt something strike his lantern, shattering it and allowing the darkness to surge back. He then felt a searing pain lash at his back, which he assumed to be the creature's claws.

Lucina's heart skipped a beat as Gregor yelped; his grip on the door was lost in his pain. He jammed his hand through the door as the sliding plates clamped on it. "Little one! Take it!" Gregor screamed as he felt more claws tear through his back. Lucina noticed the keycard in his hands, which she ignored and instead grabbed him by the hand.

"I'm not losing you!" Lucina yelled in response as she tried, and struggled, and fought with all her might to force the door open and rescue Gregor.

"Please, just take the key!" Gregor tossed the key at her as he fell to his knees amidst the pain. He felt the creature clamber atop his back with its sharp claws and attack his neck. "I'm not… afraid…" His voice slowed and grew weary as though he was falling asleep.

Lucina took the keycard from his grasp, and through the crack in the doorway where Gregor's arm hung, she could see a glimpse of the creature as it crawled atop Gregor. She saw a human face stare back at her, eyes black as the darkness around it and what she assumed were snakes riggled from its head.

A scream escaped her lips as the creature plunged its jaws into Gregor's neck. She struggled to back away and fell on her rear. Gregor yelped in pain as his arm jerked up and down. His screaming stopped, along with the motions of his arm. It just hanged there, right above Lucina's terrified face as she sat on the ground.

She heard the creature move from the other side of the door. Gregor's arm was slowly dragged away from the gap in the door. Lucina watched as it was yanked out, shutting the door and leaving her in silence as her thoughts screamed at her.

Screams of Gregor. Of that thing chasing her. Of how long it would take that thing to force the door open and kill her unless she started running.

The loudest voice was a child's, saying she wanted to go home to her mother and father.

Lucina slowly rose to her feet in the pitch-black hallway. She placed one hand along the wall and lead herself down the hallway. How many people were going to sacrifice themselves for her sake? Where was Severa? How was she going to get out of here?

She took a deep breath as she noticed her climbing heartbeat. With the keycard clutched to her chest, she continued down the hallway until she felt the wall end. A turn, she assumed, and she was indeed correct as she almost walked right into a closed door.

This must be a stairway, as the door wasn't sliding plates like the ones separating the hallways. She opened the door, wincing as she heard it creak like a dying animal, and rushed inside. Her foot stopped at a rise in the floor; a stair. She slowly climbed the staircase, clutching her sword and hearing Gregor's voice in her thoughts.

The same foul scream of the creature echoed from the bottom of the staircase after Lucina climbed for a minute. Her shoulders tightened as she hurried her pace up the stairs as she heard the creature scrambling below her. Eventually, the staircase stopped as she approached a door that had actual light seeping through the cracks.

She slammed the door with her shoulder, forcing it open as she tumbled into the hallway. A white light bathed her surroundings, revealing that she was covered in grime, tears and blood. Without wasting a single second, she ran back to the door and pressed against it with her back.

A door nearby slid open. Lucina quickly turned her head to see a massive man wearing red armor enter the doorway. A blue crystal shone in the center of his armor, and his face was obscured by a horned helmet. The armored man's eyes focused on Lucina as the door slid behind him.

"Nemesis?" His bellowing voice asked. The optimistic side of Lucina thought this was Gregor playing a prank on her. The rational side of her was trembling in fear.

"I-I-I uh…" Lucina backed against the door as she felt something slam against it from the other side. She watched the armored man stomp towards her.

Bang! The door shook from the impact.

"Yes, it is you! Oh, how I have waited for this day!" Lucina couldn't tell if he was smiling or not. "You and I have an unfinished battle to fight, only I expected it to be on the fields of my home and not my ruined factory…"

"I'm sorry, but... do I know you?"

Bang! Lucina felt the door push again as she struggled to keep it shut.

"Yes, you should!" The armored man was now standing right in front of her. "I was your father's greatest foe! He and I clashed on the fields of destiny, that is until your mother cheated and intervened." He paced back and forth. "That is why, since his spirit lives on through you, we shall finish what he started. I shall finally defeat the Ylissean bloodline and prove that I am the horseman of War himself!"

"I… I think I remember my father talking about you." Lucina felt the creature push harder and harder with every moment that passed.

Bang! Lucina knew she couldn't hold the door shut for much longer.

"It shouldn't be hard. Your father's greatest foe?"

"You're Gangrel, right?" Lucina asked. She remembered her father discussing Gangrel and his disregard for Ylissean life.

A long, awkward pause followed.

"...Wrong. Draw your sword." The armored man spoke; his boisterous tone was gone as he motioned for his lance.

"I'd prefer if we could settle this peacefully."

"I said draw your sword before I-"

Lucina was knocked to her feet and thrown to the wall as the creature slammed the door open. It leaped at the closest target, that being the man in crimson armor. "What!?" He tried to grab his lance, but the thing's claws overpowered him and knocked him to the floor.

Lucina groggily got to her feet and looked to where the man fell. A bright flash of blue followed, and the man was no longer there. The remnants of his armor were there, covered in scratch marks, but he himself was gone.

She then focused on the creature now that she had actual light. It was indeed human, with pitch-black eyes and white hair that split into tw-

"Severa!" Lucina gasped as Severa held the blue crystal from the man's armor in her palm. She then lowered onto her fours and turned to face Lucina. "Oh, gods Severa please don't-"

Before she could even protest, Lucina was knocked onto the ground by Severa and felt her head slam against the metal floor. Hanging above her and gnashing its teeth was the face of her best friend. The same face that had killed Gregor.

Lucina stared into her black irises and let out a cry of fear, pain, adrenaline, and every other emotion she could muster. Severa's grip on her shoulders loosened as she pulled her head back. Color returned to her eyes; Lucina could see the confusion in them.

"...Lucina? What... happened?" Severa asked as she felt a throbbing headache. She got to her feet and noticed the genuine fear on Lucina's face.

"You… you killed him."

* * *

Sorry for the long wait. I had some other projects I had to work on. I think I might finish the rest of this section and then upload it all at once in case I want to edit previous parts.


	42. S Act II: A Funeral of Flowers Part VI

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section B

A Funeral of Flowers

Part VI

* * *

"Why am I always stuck carrying bodies?" A guard mumbled to himself as he walked down the hallways of the factory. His shoulder hurt due to the unconscious girl he was carrying, which did not brighten his mood. Her white hair stung his eyes as it brushed against his face with every step he took.

He took a sharp left into another dimly-lit hallway, which led to a small room that contained a prison cell. This wasn't like the other cells, because the guards had to hastily throw decent furniture into it. It wouldn't be very fitting if the daughter of their god was sleeping on the cold floor.

The guard grumbled to himself as he opened the door to the cell, gently placed Severa on the bed, then closed the door behind him as he stepped outside. His mind turned to how horrible the working conditions of this factory were.

Not for the risen. Those damn corpses should be happy they were alive again. He was talking about himself, dammit. He had to watch his coworker get executed right before him, for crying out loud. " _I should get out of here_." He thought to himself as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a bagged lunch his wife had packed him this morning.

A low growl echoed around the cell as the guard pulled his sandwich out. He looked up to see the Child of Grima was awake, on all fours, and had eyes as black as the bars in front of her. She growled as she slowly approached, like a wolf stalking its prey. "H-hey there, girlie…" His voice trembled as she placed her hands on the bars and began to violently shake them. The entire room trembled from her violent motions. "Good lord!" The guard's heart skipped a beat; he feared the whole building would come down.

Maybe she needed some food to calm down? "Do… do you want this?" The guard pointed to his sandwich. Severa's movements stopped as her unnerving eyes focused on the food. "H-here take it!" The guard tossed the sandwich between the bars of the cell, where Severa caught it out of the air with her mouth. She sat on her rear like a dog and wolfed her food down; smalls bits of it were dropped to the ground from her chewing.

The guard watched as she finished her food. Her eyes focused on him but not with the same intensity as before, Instead, she just had a disinterested stare as she approached the bars. She rose and stood on her feet as she placed her hands on the bars. The horrible screech of metal scratching against metal sounded as Severa pushed the bars apart and slowly walked up to the guard. "Oh no…" He whimpered and backed against the wall in fear as Severa stood before him, exuding a cold aura that matched her soulless eyes.

In the blink of an eye, Severa grabbed the guard by the feet and smashed him against the wall while he screamed in pain. She then smashed him against the wall again, and again, and again until his screaming stopped. She panted for breath as she looked down to the fresh corpse and then to the doorway.

An idea formed in her mind as she walked down the hallway, dragging the corpse behind her by its feet. She could hear a humming noise, somewhere in the swirling mess of colors that she saw, and slowly stomped towards it.

"Hey, stop!" Another guard approached her from behind. She quickly turned around, swinging the corpse as though it was a sword and smashing the new guard into the wall. She panted for breath, turned around, and eventually found herself in a new room that housed a large, rectangular beast.

The beast hummed and shook with a noise that rattled her ears. She smashed the corpse against the beast, making a dent in it and causing sparks to fly in every which way. She smashed the monster again, and again, and again until the beast was a small, twisted husk of its former size.

The lights above dimmed, leaving her in pitch darkness and relying on her sense of hearing. Now that the beast was gone, she could properly hear a thumping noise.

Lucina's heartbeat, calling out for Severa to save her.

* * *

"Listen, Lucina… I don't…" Severa tried to explain herself as her friend stomped ahead down the hallway. "I didn't know he was a friend, okay? I thought he was going to hurt you!"

"His name was Gregor!" Lucina looked back with a burning glare. "Why is your first instinct to attack anyone near me?"

"Because that's how we survive, Lucina!" Severa hurriedly followed after her as Lucina approached another door. "This world doesn't play nice so neither do we!"

"We don't _have_ to be mindless savages killing everything in our path. _You_ choose to be that, so don't force your sick ideology on me." Severa could tell that Lucina's blood was boiling.

Severa stopped herself from lashing out, despite her mind swimming with foul obscenities to call Lucina. "...Listen. I'm sorry I killed your friend. I had no control over what I was doing, and I don't want to fight you over this."

"Sorry won't bring back the people you've killed!" Lucina stopped herself at the door and yelled at Severa.

"Oh, grow up!" Severa yelled back. "Here's something you may have not noticed by now! People. Die. All. The. Time!" Severa backed Lucina up against the wall and furrowed her brow. "Our friends' parents died! Your risen friend that you only knew for a few hours died! My parents died! Your parents died! So how about you stop being a sheltered little princess and get used to it!"

Lucina opened her mouth to toss back a hasty retort but found nothing. Just frustration. Severa sighed and went ahead, opening the door to something other than a hallway.

The door led to the desert wastes outside the factory, still tinted green but not smelling like corpses. Severa stepped outside and noticed a glass dome covering their surroundings.

"My mother isn't dead," Lucina mumbled to herself as she shoved Severa aside as she walked outside.

"Keep telling yourself that," Severa replied as she looked around. Piles of junk were placed around, some full of metal and others full of organic material. To their left was a raised platform in the distance. Her ears perked up as she heard someone whistling.

Next to the farthest pile of junk was Validar, whistling to himself as he strolled along until his eyes focused on Lucina and Severa.

"Oh, of course, it was you two!" He groaned. "Why is it that every facility you touch gets ruined?" Severa looked behind her to see the factory erupt in flames.

"Did we do that?" Severa asked. "I thought all I did was smash a thing with a body."

" _You_ wrecked the place, yes." Lucina snarkily replied. "Turns out that thing you smashed was important."

"It was a generator, you idiots. The only generator keeping that place on and from catching fire due to the intense heat produced inside." Validar yelled back. "It was a very complex system that took ages to figure out, and you ruined it!"

"She has a habit of doing that. Sorry!" Lucina shot a nasty glare to Severa.

"Oh, just shut up and get your sword out." Severa glared back. Validar took a few seconds to catch onto what was happening while Severa drew her sword.

"...Do you two really want to fight me? You seem to be doing a good job of antagonizing each other without my help."

"You shut up too!" Severa yelled back as she began walking towards Validar.

"...Fine, suit yourself." Validar pulled a tome out of his back pocket and began to recite the incantation from their scuffle in his library. A symbol of the Grimleal appeared behind him before it twisted and contorted into two small v-shaped weapons. The lines had formed into the bodies of these weapons, whereas the eyes of the symbol had become what looked like ammunition for them.

Severa's suspicions were confirmed as Validar aimed one of the two weapons at her, pulled a trigger, then fired one of the eyes towards her at a rapid velocity. She ducked as the eye whizzed past her, then curved up through the sky as it flew back to Validar's weapon.

She continued her charge towards Validar, running past large piles of trash until he was within stabbing range. She lunged her sword towards him, only for him to fade with a blur of dark energy. She quickly turned around to find him, only to feel a sharp pain jam into her back. She saw one of the eyes from his weapon lodged into her shoulder and sending burning sensations through her body.

Severa yanked the bolt from her shoulder and held it in her hand. It squirmed and vibrated as it shone with an orange light, then flew out of her hand in the blink of an eye.

"Too slow!" Validar's insufferable voice echoed from behind a pile of garbage. A second later, five more bolts tore through the pile and almost made Severa into a pincushion before she dodged to the left.

She ran past the pile to find Lucina swiping her blade at Validar, who dodged her blow and fired back in response. Lucina side-stepped the bolt and almost swung back before she was knocked to her feet by Severa, who shoved her aside for a chance to strike Validar.

Lucina fumed with anger as she landed on her side. She rolled onto her stomach and swiped her arm at Severa, knocking her to the floor as well.

"What the hell are you doing? He was mine!" Severa yelled as she kicked Lucina with her foot.

"Stop hogging my foe!" Lucina kicked back. The two laid there on the ground, kicking and screaming each other as Validar watched.

"...I'm right here, you know." Validar sighed as the two children duked it out on the floor. His sigh turned to a scream as Severa surprised him and grabbed him by the leg, bringing him down to the floor as well.

He struggled and flopped like a fish as Severa swung her fist into his head, while Lucina kicked him in the back and struck his neck. "Ow! OW!" His head throbbed and his vision blurred while Lucina and Severa continued to assault him.

A hand emerged from above and grabbed Validar, lifting him up from the squabble and pushing Severa away. Lucina looked up to see Excellus standing above them and grimacing. His purple hair contrasted the green sky in a sickly sort of way.

"I did not wake up this morning expecting to save you from a slap fight." Excellus laughed to himself as Validar, bruised and battered, leaned against his shoulder for support.

"Thanks… Excellus…" Validar sighed as he almost shut his eyes.

Severa and Lucina had stopped their fighting as they wearily rose to their feet. They looked about as exhausted as Validar. They noticed that his weapons had faded away.

"Oh, back for more are you?" Excellus cocked a smile as he leaned Validar up against a pile of metal. "Alright, alright. Let's see if you two pipsqueaks can put up a figh-"

Lucina raised her sword high above her head and let out a scream of rage. Rage towards Severa for killing Gregor. Rage towards Grima for setting up this accursed factory. Rage towards Excellus for his gods-damned smile.

Falchion exploded with a bright flash of light as the sword's length increased threefold. The blade was now a beam of light that shone with divine brilliance; Validar tensed up as he recognized this from the library. Lucina brought her sword down on Excellus with another scream.

Severa shielded her eyes and opened them to see Excellus' right arm laying on the ground and smoking. She then looked to Excellus, whose right arm had indeed been cut off and cauterized by Lucina's sword of light. Excellus looked down to his arm in shock; his mouth opened but no screams came out.

"YOU CUT MY ARM OFF!" Excellus screamed like a banshee as he looked at Lucina.

"Good!" Lucina screamed back as Excellus picked up his own arm.

"OH GODS! MY… MY ARM!" Excellus looked to Validar, who also looked downright scared.

"...I think I might faint." Validar covered his mouth as he gagged. Severa also looked as though she was sick.

"YOU'RE A MONSTER! A SICK, TWISTED MONSTER!" Excellus screamed at Lucina, who still continued to glare.

"Shut up, or I'll finish what I started." She pointed her sword at his other arm as Excellus backed away in fear.

"Now might be the time to beat a hasty retreat," Validar spoke to Excellus, who continued to look distraught. Validar waved his hand, summoning a portal that he fled through. Excellus followed, still clutching his arm tightly to him.

The portal disappeared before Lucina could give chase. She looked back to Severa, who was backed up in fear against a pile of metal.

"Are we just… not going to talk about what happened?" Severa asked. She felt like she might hurl.

"I don't want to talk about it." Lucina wasn't sure what had come over her, but she did not like it one bit.

A loud whistle pierced their ears. They looked to the source to see a hulking beast of steel roll towards the raised platform from outside the glass dome. A chimney stuck out from the top and billowed smoke as the snake of steel approached; Lucina remembered Gregor's description of the train and assumed this was it.

Severa, meanwhile, released this was the same machine from her dreams that carried Grima off. The train approached and slowed to a stop at the raised platform, which Severa and Lucina hurried to the station.

It wasn't until they were right before it that they realized how large this train was. The door opened; Severa shrugged her shoulders at Lucina and hurried inside the train. Lucina followed, only to be greeted by a sight she never expected to see.

As she walked inside the train car, she was greeted with the sight of a ghostly blue Lissa sitting on a bench underneath a few crystal lights. Lissa turned her head to face Lucina and her mouth went agape in shock.

"Auntie Lissa?" Lucina asked. Her eyes welled up at the sight of her beloved aunt.

Lissa simply said nothing and stood up as she hugged Lucina and Severa.

"Oh, gods… I thought I would never see you two again…" Her eyes also welled up; she turned her head back and called out. "Hey everyone! Lucina and Severa are here!"

The door Lissa was looking at opened, revealing a blue Lon'qu, Miriel, and Kellam. All of which were beaming with delight at the sight of Severa and Lucina.


	43. S Act II: A Funeral of Flowers Part VII

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section B

A Funeral of Flowers

Part VII

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Lazy Afternoons_ from _Kingdom Hearts 2.5_ when you see one * mark, and _More Than Truth_ from _Final Fantasy XIV_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

*The staircase leading up the tower of the Ylissean Castle was a sight that Frederick had grown very familiar with over the years. The blue carpet, stainless and clear of any bumps that his lord or lady could trip over, led up the staircase and past various windows that bathed the tower in the orange glow of the setting sun. He continued up the spiral staircase, clutching the tray of food tightly against his body.

He approached the door at the top of the tower and noticed a blemish on the hardwood finish. A blemish he would have to iron out after he delivered tonight's meal. He ignored his instincts to drop the dray and fix the stain but knocked on the door instead.

"Come in, Frederick!" Chrom's voice echoed from inside the room. Frederick motioned to open the door with his shoulder, only to have it opened for him by Olivia from the inside. He quickly scanned the interior of the Exalt's retreat to see Chrom and his two children sitting at a table next to a balcony overlooking the entirety of Ylisstol.

"Thank you, milady." Frederick bowed his head to Olivia, who smiled back in response.

"You were going to open the door with your hands full like that?" She asked as she seated herself at the table.

"It's not as hard as it looks," Frederick spoke as he placed the tray of food on the table. Lucina and Inigo, both five years of age, eyed the plates with wide eyes from their seats. "Now, let me introduce what you'll be having tonight… A cooked steak for Milord." He lifted one of the trays up to reveal a sizzling steak. "And another for Milady." Another tray was lifted to reveal an identical steak. "A side salad for all of you…" He showcased a large salad brimming with fresh vegetables. "And fresh chicken for the young ones." Finally, a large roast of chicken was revealed.

"Does it have any bones in it?" Lucina asked. Inigo nodded as though he was asking as well.

"I deboned it myself, Milady." Frederick smiled as he placed the tray aside and took a step back from the table. "And with that, I must take my leave." He turned for the door before Chrom's voice stopped him.

"Have you had dinner yet?" Chrom asked.

"No. To be honest, I was planning on going to a local restaurant and taking the food to my quarters.

"Why don't you get free food here?" Inigo chimed in.

"We are running low on supplies for the servants. I chose to eat out so the that the cooks may save their gold."

"You're a servant?" Lucina kicked her small legs back and forth as they hung above the floor. "I thought you were part of our family. At least, that's what mom said." Frederick's gaze turned to Olivia, who stifled an awkward laugh.

"I… would hesitate to use familial terms when regarding myself." His once-stoic voice slightly cracked.

"But you are, though." Olivia took a quick drink of her water and continued speaking. "You're a part of our family and we're not letting a family member go hungry. Take a seat, please."

"But there are no spare chairs." Frederick found the idea of sharing private company with his lieges absurd, but he was also bound to obey their commands. His eyes focused on a spare chair in the corner; he motioned to pull it to the table before Chrom appeared and grabbed it for him.

"You've done so much for us, so it's only fair we do something for you." Chrom smiled as he dragged the chair across the floor to the table, scratching the carpet and bumping into various dressers and furniture. Frederick winced the entire time.

"Not the carpet not the carpet!" Frederick lunged for the chair as he watched the carpet devolve into bunches and knots of fabric.

"Whoops. My bad." Chrom stopped himself and lifted the chair up. "I'll fix that later." He looked to the bunches in the carpet after bringing the chair to the table.

Frederick simply stared at the imperfections, his foot dangling above them and ready to fix them. "Come on, Frederick." Against his better judgement Frederick moved away from the carpet and sat down between Lucina and Inigo. His broad shoulders contrasted their small frames.

"I don't believe there's any food left for me." Frederick looked around to the full plates he had provided; the only spare was empty.

Olivia and Chrom simply said nothing as they cut out a fourth of their steak each and placed it on the spare plate. They then motioned for Lucina and Inigo to do the same, and indeed they cut off a portion of their chicken and placed it on the plate. Inigo pushed the plate across the table to Frederick while he smiled.

"Here you go, Uncle Fred." Frederick looked from his small liege to his new plate of food.

"I…" He almost repeated his statement on familial terms but stopped himself. "Thank you." He slowly took a bite of his food and loosened his shoulders.

They continued to eat their meal, chatting the night away. Occasionally, Frederick would sneak a glimpse of the setting sun over Ylisstol. He hadn't seen it from this angle before, and it looked rather beautiful.

* * *

Frederick's eyes slowly opened while his snoring stopped. Again, that dream teased his sleep like a reminder of better times. He preferred it over the nightmares of what Lucina and Inigo's fate was without his protection, but he would rather an uneventful sleep that didn't make him miserable the following day.

He looked around to see the familiar interior of the Specter Express. Light fixtures lined the walls next to the windows. Rows upon rows of benches identical to the one he sat in were arranged in rows down the train car.

He looked to his hands, which were still blue and slightly transparent. He muttered a curse word before he heard Lady Lissa behind him.

"Hey everyone! Lucina and Severa are here!"

He instinctively rushed to his feet at the mention of Lucina's name. He followed Lissa's voice into the dining car to see more of his fellow ghostly prisoners he had known in both life and now death crowding the entrance to the next car.

"Let me see the little ones!" Cherche paced at the end of the line, trying to shove her way in.

"Cherche, just wait in line!" Vaike turned around to respond.

"...Excuse me." Frederick spoke as he tightened his shoulders and shoved past them. Cherche initially protested before Stahl, who stood in front of her, whispered into her ear.

"Let him see them. He's earned it."

Frederick shoved his way through the line, apologizing with every nudge. His heartbeat climbed as he grew closer and closer to Lissa's voice. He eventually emerged into the next car to the sight of Lissa hugging Severa and Lucina.

**Their skin was not blue; they were alive. Lucina's eyes turned from Lissa to Frederick and grew wide. His knees almost buckled from joy as he knelt down.

"It is… good to see you, Milady." He lowered his head and looked at the carpeted floor. He almost jumped in shock as Lucina rushed him and wrapped her arms around his chest in an embrace.

"Uncle Frederick!" She spoke with glee. Frederick fought back tears as he hugged her back. "I missed you so much!"

Frederick turned his head from Lucina to focus on Severa, who stood there twiddling her thumbs.

"It is good to see you as well, Lady Severa." He waved to Severa with his free hand and she waved back.

"Is… Is he crying?" Severa whispered to Lissa.

"Cut him some slack. He's been really worrying about Lucina and Inigo for the last few months." Lissa replied while the line continued. Tharja and Stahl were now in the car and were saying hello to the new passengers. Frederick's sobbing had continued and was growing louder now.

"Wait, how long were you guys in here?" Severa asked the crowd.

"Six painful months," Tharja replied in a droll tone.

"You mean you've all been here on this thing for six months? And we didn't know?" Severa's eyes went wide.

"We?" Kellam asked.

"The survivors at New Ylisstol. Morgan, Owain, Kjelle, Laurent, Cynthia, Brady, Yarne, Noire, Nah, Inigo, and Gerome. There's also some regular folks back there that just came-" Severa stopped herself when she noticed that the car was now full of her friends' parents, wide-eyed and jaws agape. "What? Did I say something funny?"

"Our… Our kids are alive?" Vaike was the first to ask.

"Yes." Lucina had left Frederick's embrace and now stood at Severa's side. "All of your children are alive and safe."

Tharja was the first to fall to her knees in tears. Stahl quickly followed, then Lissa, then Vaike. Soon everyone besides Lucina and Severa had collapsed into tears of joy for their children's safety.

"Owain is okay…" Lissa mumbled into Lon'qu's shoulder; he was biting his lower lip and his eyes were glistening.

Before the sobbing could even stop, a dinging noise was heard from a device in the corner of the ceiling.

"Role call will be made in five minutes. Please sit in your designated seats for the time being." Severa's skin crawled as she heard Grima's voice echo from the device. Everyone's sobbing stopped as they hurried to sit down in the various benches. Severa and Lucina were the only ones left standing in the middle.

"W-what do we do?" Severa asked. She felt a chill down her spine. Was Grima here? Her mind was still processing what had just been learned.

"Does he not know you're here yet?" Lon'qu asked as he sat down next to Lissa.

"Who?" Lucina asked in response. Her eyes were nervously darting from one side of the room to the next.

"Grima!" All of the adults replied. Severa and Lucina both tensed up at the mention of his name.

"Lucina! Severa! In here!" Frederick spoke from behind them. His head was sticking out from a room to the side behind the benches. Lucina and Severa hurried inside the room and noticed Frederick holding a curtain back. They rushed to the space behind the curtain and could barely see anything in the darkness.

Lucina stumbled and fell to the wall as the train began to move forward without warning. They could hear the toot of the whistle and the chugging of the wheels below as Lucina got to her feet. Severa offered her hand in help before Lucina swatted it away.

"I don't need your help."

"Sure you don't."

Outside the room, the Shepherds waited in their benches for the weekly role call to take place. The door at the front of the car opened, revealing a man they once called their friend.

"Hello, friends." Grima entered the car and smiled as he waved. Nobody responded; they all just glared at him. "Wow, tough crowd. Alright, alright, let's just get this over with." Severa and Lucina both fumed with anger, both at frustration directed at each other and anger towards Grima.

Cherche, who sat at the front of the crowd, watched as Grima pulled a list out of his cloak. "Cherche and Ricken?"

"H-here, sir." Ricken replied. Cherche said nothing but continued to glare.

"Miriel and Kellam?" Grima looked up to see Miriel sitting by herself, or so he thought until he noticed Kellam. "I'd joke about not noticing you, Kellam, but I doubt you'd find it very funny."

"Stop trying to be friendly and go away," Kellam mumbled.

"Fine, fine. Gaius… will be here shortly." The crowd gasped. "Yes, don't worry, folks. We caught him trying to escape and we kindly redirected him back here.

"DON'T PUT ME BACK ON THAT GOD-FORSAKEN TRAIN YOU DUMB MOTHERFU-" Severa and Lucina gasped as they heard Gaius screaming from behind them. They had wondered why he wasn't on the train, along with Chrom, Cordelia and Olivia.

In fact, they still had no idea why their dead friends were on this train. In the raw emotion of the moment, they had forgotten to ask.

"Moving on, Stahl and Tharja?" Grima resumed going down the list.

"Go to hell."

"Haha, good morning to you as well, Tharja. Lissa and Lon'qu?"

A painful silence followed. "Good to see you two as well. Donnel and Panne?"

"My ancestors are smiling at me. Can you say the same, fell-spawn?" Panne spoke.

"Yes. In fact, I spoke with him last week. Vaike? Virion?"

Both Vaike and Virion let out a 'here.' "Sully? Henry? Nowi?" All three spoke up. "Maribell-"

Before Grima could finish speaking, Maribelle stood up and got right in Grima's face.

"You _disgust_ me like no other. How can you sleep at night, keeping us trapped on this infernal locomotive for all eternity."

"I sleep peacefully, with my wife, thank you very much. And 'trapped' is a very strong word that I would hesitate to use." Grima used only his finger to push Maribelle back down onto her seat. "Alright, last few names. Gregor?"

Lucina's heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name.

"Yes. I am here, but I do not like it." Gregor replied, in a very different voice than the one he had in the factory.

Lucina's mind was left to ponder this fact while Grima continued on. "And last but not least…"

Severa waited and prayed that her mother was on this train. All she wanted was to see her again. Lucina, meanwhile, hoped that her mother was not on the train. "Say'ri."

"...Where is my brother?" Say'ri asked. Severa almost screamed in anger while Lucina sighed in relief. Severa didn't care where Say'ri's brother was; she just wanted to know where her mother was.

"Every day you ask that question and every day I'll tell you the same answer: I don't know."

Lucina and Severa's minds were already swirling. Where was Chrom, Olivia, Sumia, or Cordelia? They knew Chrom and Cordelia were dead, meaning not every dead Shepherd was here. But Sumia was alive, and that explained her absence.

So where was Olivia? Was she dead? Alive? Lucina had needed an answer for a year and still found none.

"Alright, everyone is indeed accounted for and Gaius is on the way." Grima's insufferable voice popped back up as Severa's posture straightened.

Sounds of struggle ensued. What Severa and Lucina didn't see was Gaius thrown to the floor of the car at Grima's feet by guards. "There he is! You didn't think we'd leave the station without you, right?"

"Just kill me already." Gaius mumbled as he raised his head slowly. Severa was shocked to hear her uncle's voice so devoid of emotion and his signature energy.

"Now why would I kill my friend? I already made that mistake with Chrom and I intend to never do it again." Grima spoke. Lucina's fist clenched into a ball and Severa had to restrain her from charging past the curtain. Lucina struggled back and jostled the carpet, mumbling something about how Severa doesn't understand what she's going through.

In their arguments, they failed to hear Grima ask Gaius to join him in the next room.

The door to the room Severa and Lucina were in opened while Severa was in the middle of covering Lucina's mouth with her hand; both of them stopped dead in their tracks and made no movements. Severa slowly removed her hand from Lucina's frowning mouth and tried to see through the curtain. They found no way to see through the curtain, so the only thing they could do was eavesdrop as the door closed.

"Sit down, please." Grima spoke. Severa's blood was boiling.

"What, are you gonna offer to take my coat or something?" Gaius shot back a quick response. Severa noticed he sounded tired.

"So, Gaius, how long have you been on this train with the others?"

"...Two weeks."

"And how many times have you tried to escape?" Grima asked. Severa assumed they were sitting down by now.

No response. Grima waited a few seconds before speaking. "Precisely ten times, counting your little stunt yesterday. I just have to ask… why? Why are you escaping from my gift to you and your friends? A luxury train ride for the afterlife is a privilege, you know."

"...Being forced to tour the world we failed to protect isn't much of a privilege." A long pause ensued. Grima bit his tongue. "I keep trying because one of these times, she's going to be out there waiting for me. "Besides, my little escapade yesterday did help save Severa and Lucina, so at least some good came out of it."

"You saw them?" Grima leaned back in his seat. Last he had heard, Validar had dropped them out of his library into the middle of the desert. "Were they okay?"

Somehow, the idea of Grima caring about her wellbeing made Lucina's rage fester even more. So angry was she that she placed her foot forward, ready to stomp out there and slice open his foul chest.

Severa brusquely grabbed her by the arm.

"Don't do it, idiot! You'll expose us!" She whispered.

"Get your hands off of me, you savage!" Lucina whispered back. She swung her fist towards Severa's face, who ducked the blow and swung back in kind. The curtain rustled with every movement, continuing until a hand dragged it back. They were bathed in light as Grima stood before them.

"...Well there you two are. I was really worrying about you both." Grima actually smiled, which Severa found more frightening than the fact that they were caught. She then looked at Gaius, who waved and smiled at her. "If you two want to stay here, can you please not interrupt us?"

Lucina was trembling with fear as she nodded her head. "Good." Grima returned back to his seat, not even bothering to draw the curtain over them. "So back to the conversation at hand, I'm assuming this 'she' that you speak of is Sumia, correct?"

The glare on Gaius' face as he folded his arms spoke volumes. "So, what would you do if I brought her here-"

In the blink of an eye, Gaius got to his feet and slapped Grima across the face. The loud impact and recoil from Grima made Severa wince.

"If you dare lay a finger on her, I'll… I'll…" His voice cracked and his face was beet-red. Grima glared back at him.

"I meant bring her here _alive_. Why did you assume that I would kill her?" Grima raised his eyebrow.

"You killed all of us here. Why would you stop for her?" Gaius continued to stand up. Grima opened his mouth as though to speak, but nothing was said. He glanced at Severa before focusing back on Gaius.

"...Thank you for your cooperation, Gaius. Severa, can you please come to the next car and talk with me?" He walked to and opened the door before turning around to face Severa.

Severa took one disgusted glance at Lucina, tried to remember why she believed she was her friend, then spoke.

"Gladly, if it means I don't have to spend any more time with this idiot." She punched Lucina in the shoulder on her way out, then wrapped her arms around Gaius. "It's good to see you, Uncle Gaius."

"Good to uh... " Gaius tried to process what just happened. "Good to see you too, kiddo." Before he could even think, Severa was gone and had left the room. Gaius looked back to Lucina, who was clutching her shoulder and wincing. "What the hell was that about?"

"...We're not on good terms right now." Lucina looked to the floor like a child who had been caught stealing. "Can you answer why you and the other Shepherds are here?"

"...Grima's keeping all of us on this thing as an 'apology' for killing us." Gaius sat back down in his chair. "And you really had a fight with Severa? You two were inseparable back when I was alive."

"That was before she started killing innocent people in cold blood." Lucina replied.

"Seriously? Severa would never do that..." Gaius raised his eyebrow; he knew there was something here that Lucina wasn't telling him. She looked tired, however, so he elected to ask her at a later time.

While this was occuring, Severa had left the room and followed behind Grima towards the front of the train. She looked out to the nearby windows and saw that the train was indeed moving.

Vast stretches of sand dotted with cactuses darted by. In the distance, she could see large rock formations that moved at a slower rate. All of the Shepherds gave her sympathetic looks as she walked past; she tried her best to smile.

"I have someone here who's very excited to see you." Grima looked behind and smiled as Severa followed into the next car, then the next which consisted of small rooms. The car after that was where Severa stopped, not only because she had reached her destination, but out of fear as well.

Sitting on a chair and staring right at her was The Cloaked Woman; the black void of her hood stared into Severa's soul as she approached.

"Uh…" Her shoulders tensed up. She looked behind to see that Grima was blocking the doorway. "H-hi…" She looked up to the faceless entity who probably wanted to murder her.

The Cloaked Woman placed her hands on Severa's tense shoulders. She then held a confused Severa in an embrace, which Grima joined in.

"I love family reunions." He whispered.


	44. S Act II: A Funeral of Flowers Part VIII

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section B

A Funeral of Flowers

Part VIII

* * *

Candles lined the room Severa found herself, giving off a warm glow that reminded her of her own home. She would be focusing on the candles more if her greatest fear wasn't staring her in the face across the table.

Sitting at a table inside a decorated train cabin was Grima, Severa and the Cloaked Woman. Dinner was waiting for them by the time Grima had led Severa to the cabin, but Severa had not touched it whatsoever.

"Are you okay, dear?" Grima asked as he finished his steak and looked to Severa's untouched food. He then looked out a nearby window to see the sun setting across the desert outside.

"...Yeah." Severa's fork was pointed at the Cloaked Woman across the table, in case she tried anything. The whole meal, the Cloaked Woman had just been staring at Severa. Her hood hung over her face like a shadow, obscuring her visage and leaving a void where anything could be beneath. Was she smiling? Scowling? Simply staring at her?

The tension in the air was so palpable that Severa began to choke. Her eyes watered as she stared at the abyss sitting across the table.

"Do you need water?" Grima looked to the glass of water at Severa's side; the surface vibrated from the motions of the train.

"I uh… May I go to the bathroom?" Severa squeamishly stood up. The Cloaked Woman tracked her movements.

"You don't need to ask permission, you know," Grima spoke with a smile. "The restroom is two cars to the left of here, towards the back of the train." The Cloaked Woman stood up and reached for Severa's hand. Severa jerked it away and assumed she wanted to guide her to the bathroom.

"I'll be fine." She quickly fled the room, leaving a confused Grima and Cordelia inside.

"...Did we do something wrong?" Grima asked his wife, who was also confused at Severa's skittish behavior. A thought occurred to him. "Oh, I just remembered... The bathroom is at the front of the train."

Severa waited until she heard the door close behind her before she let out a deep breath. Her hands trembled and shook as she sat against the wall, feeling the rhythmic motions of the train rock her.

The entirety of the time she had spent with Grima and his wife today was something she wanted to forget. An ungodly amount of hours were spent on awkward small talk while the Cloaked Woman just stared at her. It didn't help that Lucina had forced her hand and gave her no other option than to spend time with the monster that killed her mother.

She eventually stood up and began to walk toward the back of the train; her mind wandered. Was Morgan okay? Was Inigo doing his damn job and looking over her? Did all of the Shepherds hate her as much as Lucina does?

Her eyes focused on the first person she could recognize as she walked through the cars, that person being Stahl.

"Hey, Severa!" He sat by himself and waved to Severa. "You okay? You look like you're about to cry."

"I… I'll be fine." She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to give a nervous smile. "Just have to go to the bathroom."

"I think there's one at the front of the trai-."

"Okaythankyoubye!" Severa rushed out of the car with her head in her hands and hurried into the next, where she found even more Shepherds who surely masking their disappointment in her by acting disinterested.

"Hi, Severa." Ricken spoke as he sat next to Cherche, who also waved. Severa replied by waving her trembling hand; her eyes were bulging and looked as though she was going to burst into tears. "Are you alright?"

Severa couldn't even find the strength to respond as her voice croaked and she attempted to flee their judgemental stares. She couldn't even see where she was escaping to, as her head was again lodged into her hands.

She bumped into a ghostly object and opened her eyes to see Gaius standing between her and the doorway.

"Hey there, sport." He smiled and waved. Severa tried to shove past him without saying a word. "Woah there, what's the rush?"

"Don't look at me!" Severa pushed again, but Gaius did not budge. All the other Shepherds had gathered to the car and were watching, judging her weakness no doubt. She fell to her knees from the weight of their stares, and in her frenzied sobbing, she couldn't see that they were stares of concern.

"Here, come on." Gaius lost his joking attitude as he offered her his hand and helped her to a bench. She promptly brought her knees to her chest and continued to sob. "What's wrong?" Gaius asked as he sat down next to her.

"I'm the one who's wrong! I betrayed all of you for Grima! Lucina hates my guts because I killed a man!" She looked out to the crowd of Shepherds, all of whom looked solemn. "What do you see when you look at me? You probably see what my mother saw: a failure. A mistake."

"That's not…" Gaius paused as he looked out to the crowd. Lissa stepped forward.

"I see a woman who's in pain." She spoke. Severa paused and continued to weep. "We don't hate you. We're proud of you no matter what you do."

"...Can you please look at yourself the way I look at you?" Gaius asked as he placed his hand on her back. "The girl who can tough out the apocalypse with a smile."

After a long pause, Severa mumbled to herself.

"I want my mother and father back…" All of the Shepherds glanced to each other, as though they knew something that she did not.

"We're sorry this Grima stuff is so hard. You're doing a better job managing it than we ever could." Stahl spoke out.

"No, I'm not." Severa hastily replied back.

"Can I tell you some of the best advice Sumia ever gave me?" Gaius asked. Severa nodded her head. "When you say nasty comments to yourself like that, that's not you speaking. That's your inner critic. Everyone has one. I have one that constantly tells me I failed my family and I died for nothing."

"Why would you think that? That's horrible…" Severa spoke, then gained enough self-awareness to realize where this was going. "Oh."

"Exactly. Those voices in your head telling you that you don't matter? They don't matter. Think of them like those bullies you and Cynthia dealt with at school. Hell, repeat those thoughts in their voice if it helps you realize how wrong they are."

"I'll… I'll try. Thanks, everyone." Severa wiped her eyes and looked out to the crowd, all of which were smiling.

" _You don't deserve them_." She thought. She repeated that statement but in Attab's voice, making it sound more comical.

" _Oh, shut up_." She spoke back in her thoughts. " _I do deserve them_." She got to her feet and hugged her uncle. "Thanks for the help. Do you know where the bathroom is?"

"Don't sweat it." Gaius hugged her back. "I think it's at the front of the train."

"Alright, I don't know why Grima pointed me in this direction but I ain't complain-"

The door behind Severa at the back of the car opened, revealing a disgruntled Lucina who locked eyes with her. Severa's smile shifted to a frown while Lucina glared.

"What are you doing here?" Lucina gritted her teeth.

"Hanging out with my extended family," Severa replied. The other Shepherds winced and did not like where this was going.

"After you betrayed them for Grima?" Lucina replied as she stepped towards Severa.

"You're the only one here who thinks I betrayed them. Maybe you should get your head checked out." Severa folded her arms. "Must be a lot of hot air in ther-"

Lucina broke into a sprint towards Severa and tackled her with her shoulder, screaming all the while.

"How dare you speak to me like that!" She yelled as she tackled Severa to the floor and started swinging for her head. She struck her directly in the forehead, knocking her out cold.

"Lucina, stop!" Frederick called out from the crowd as he grabbed Lucina by the shoulders and pulled her away from Severa. Lucina struggled to break free of his grip.

"Unhand me!" She yelled and looked to Severa, who laid on the floor with a bruise on her forehead from Lucina's strikes. She looked unconscious

"For your own sake and for Severa's, I shall not." Frederick continued to restrain his liege until he saw the door at the front of the car opened.

The Shepherds stepped back out of fear as the Cloaked Woman stepped into the car, facing Lucina as she walked towards her. "Oh dear…"

The Cloaked Woman stopped and knelt down next to Severa. She gently lifted her off the ground and placed the unconscious girl on a bench. She set her hand on her forehead for a moment before turning to face Lucina. She walked in front of Lucina and stopped, pulling a piece of paper out of her coat pocket. She scribbled a message onto it and showed it to Frederick.

"May I speak to Lucina for a moment?" The message read. Frederick sighed and knew the wrath of Grima was not one he wished to incur on himself or his liege. Frederick released Lucina from his grasp and watched as the Cloaked Woman grabbed her by the shoulder and took her through the back door.

Fear gripped Lucina's joints as she begrudgingly let herself be lead by the Cloaked Woman. She was brought to a small room inside the next car, watched as the door was closed behind her, and then was seated on one of the two benches in the small room. She looked out a nearby window to see the setting sun against a canyon.

Lucina watched the same woman who had killed those hunters pace back and forth. The void in her hood made her even more terrifying.

"Who… Who are you?" Lucina stuttered out a question. The Cloaked Woman turned to face her, and after what felt like an eternity, pulled her hood down.

Long, red locks of hair flowed from her hood and behind her. Lucina gasped as she recognized the shade. Standing before her was Cordelia, her aunt. "Y-you… You died!"

A visor rested on her face and obscured her eyes, but she was still frowning. "You're a ghost! There's no way you're actually…" Her heartbeat climbed at this revelation.

Cordelia scribbled another message on her paper and handed it to Lucina.

"Behave yourself around Severa." Lucina looked up from the note to see Cordelia scowling.

"...Yes, ma'am." If there was one thing Lucina had learned from her childhood, it was that an enraged Aunt Delia was scarier than any monster she could think of.

Cordelia nodded her head, drew her hood up, and simply walked out of the room. No comforting smile or embrace was given, just an angry stare that stayed in Lucina's mind as she followed. She arrived back in the car the Shepherds were in to see Cordelia lift her unconscious daughter off the bench and carry her away. The Shepherds watched and then turned their eyes to Lucina.

"You really did a number on her," Gaius muttered from the crowd.

"I...I didn't mean to." Lucina stammered. Her eyes darted nervously from side to side. "B-but she deserved it!"

"You initiated the aggression." Miriel looked up from her book and delivered a cold stare focused directly on Lucina. "Therefore the blame rests on you for causing the chain of events that resulted in you giving her a concussion." The rest of the Shepherds were matching her stare.

"B-because she killed Gregor! Why are you all against me and defending her?" Lucina yelled and asked. Silence followed, and then a large man stood up from the crowd. He slowly walked to Lucina; she studied his blue flame and recognized him as the same Gregor she knew as a child, with his red hair and broad shoulders.

"I was killed, yes. Last year by risen." Gregor spoke, in a lighter voice than the man from the factory. Lucina's head began to spin. "I would remember if I was killed by Severa."

"Then… Then who was that man in the factory? He sounded just like you and his name was Gregor!"

"What did this man say?" Gregor asked. His eyebrow was raised as he knelt down next to Lucina.

"He was a risen. And that he died protecting his brother from bandits." Gregor's eyes widened. "He said his brother's name was Harold."

Gregor stood up and looked out the window, which now showed the desert coated in a blanket of darkness.

"He… He was risen?"

"Yes," Lucina replied. She noticed the other Shepherds staring at Gregor.

With an enraged shout, Gregor slammed his fist into the wall of the train.

"My brother was alive?! All this time and I could not visit him because of this infernal prison on wheels!" Gregor swung again at the wall while Lucina's heartbeat climbed. Not a single dent was made on the wall by the time Gregor collapsed on the floor in tears. "I… I…"

"Your brother?!" Lucina slowly approached as she asked.

"Yes. He died protecting me from bandits when we were children. I took his name ever since that day." Gregor spoke as he tried to stifle his crying. A few moments passed before Gregor composed himself, but everyone could tell he was still shaken. "And Severa put him out of his misery?"

"Misery? Why would he be miserable? He had a second chance at life and Severa robbed that-" She paused herself and looked out to the crowd of ghostly Shepherds, all of which were glaring daggers at her. "I'm sorry."

"A second chance at life is not so grand when your first was left unfulfilled," Gregor spoke. "My brother would not want to have died only to see you two fight."

Lucina took a step back. Her mind was awash with conflicting thoughts that circled her like sharks. _Was Severa in control? Did Gregor want to die?_

"How did he die?" Gregor interrupted her breakdown, noticing the distress on her face.

"...Protecting me." She replied in a shaky voice.

"Then he died without regrets," Gregor spoke then glanced at Lucina's bloodshot eyes that started to cry. "Go rest, and tomorrow you can apologize to Severa for what you've done to her."

Lucina simply nodded her head as she began to let out a quiet whimper, retreating from the crowd that she knew was right and into the empty bedroom in the next car. The very same room where she discovered that her aunt was alive.

She tried her hardest to slumber, but the knowledge that she had ruined her friendship for nothing kept her awake.


	45. S Act II: A Funeral of Flowers Part IX

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section B

A Funeral of Flowers

Part IX

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Without Shadow_ from _Final Fantasy XIV_ when you see one * mark.

* * *

Severa grumbled gibberish as she opened her eyes from her slumber and looked around. She seemed to be inside a small room which contained decorations that matched the rest of the train's.

A faint smell of eggs wafted into her nose as she sat upright. She felt a bed underneath and looked up at a window, which showed the desert bathed in morning light.

Her forehead ached and pained as though she had been struck by lightning, but a cursory glance to the window showed both her reflection and the lack of a bruise where Lucina had struck her.

A cold hand tapped her shoulder. Severa jumped in surprise as she turned around to see the Cloaked Woman looming over her like a ghost. She gasped and backed against the wall in fear. The blankets had become a tangled mess in her scramblings. The Cloaked Woman held her hands up and took a step back, then grabbed a notepad from the desk.

"Good morning." She wrote on the notepad and showed it to Severa. "Are you well?" Severa glanced to the nearby wall to see a healing staff leaning against it.

"...Yes." Severa spoke with a cautious tone. "D-did you heal me?"

The Cloaked Woman nodded her shrouded head. "Can you speak?" She shook her head in response to Severa's question. She scribbled another note out.

"I cooked breakfast for you." The note read. Severa glanced to the nearby table to see her sense of smell was correct; there was a plate of eggs, waffles, and juice on a tray.

"Thank y-you…" Severa nervously attempted to get to her feet before the Cloaked Woman rushed to her side and gently held her down.

"I thought you would want to eat it in bed." She scribbled another note down.

"Uh…" Severa ceased her attempts to get up and instead laid down as the Cloaked Woman adjusted her blanket and moved her pillows upright. The Cloaked Woman took a step back and gave her a thumbs up while she sat against the wall, now cushioned by pillows. She watched as the Cloaked Woman brought the tray over, adjusted a set of small legs underneath it, then placed it on Severa's lap.

"Is this okay?" A new note read. Severa nodded her head. "Alright. I love you." The Cloaked Woman brought her head to Severa's forehead and placed a kiss on her forehead. Severa wanted to recoil from the feeling of her lips, which disturbingly felt like a reminder of days from her long-gone childhood.

The Cloaked Woman waved as she walked out of the door, closing it behind her and leaving a very confused Severa, who eyed her breakfast with an empty stare.

 _Am I… Am I missing something here?_ She thought, her mind racing as to who the Cloaked Woman was. After a minute of confusion passed, she began to eat her meal until the door opened. Grima stepped inside with a smile on his face.

"Morning, sunshine." He knelt down next to her bed. Severa replied with a half-hearted greeting in turn. "How are you doing? I hear your former friend did quite a number on you."

Severa didn't know how to respond. "You know, sometimes there's just no reasoning with people like her, is there? That's why I always say you gotta make them fear you. Break their kneecaps, scar their face, kill their family to set an examp-"

"Excuse me?!" Severa almost choked on her juice. Grima's eyes went wide. "I am not breaking Lucina's kneecaps or killing her family!"

"Oh… right." Grima realized he still had to get the hang of parental advice. "My mistake."

Severa folded her arms and frowned. Grima sighed and took a nervous step back. "I'm sorry for suggesting something like that."

"Good," Severa replied as she finished her meal.

"Listen, uh…" Grima looked to the window above. "Would you mind spending some time with your grandfather today? He's not in a good state of mind and I think some company would do him wonders."

"Why don't you spend some time with him as well?" Severa asked. Grima tugged the front of his collar.

"Well, you see… the funny thing about that is uh…" He seemed to be thinking of an excuse as his eyes looked away. "I'm a… very busy god you know!" His tone picked up. "I have several calls to make, some of which will take hours upon hours of sitting in my office at the front."

"I see." Severa furrowed her brow.

"I'd love to spend some time with my figurative father, I really would. But I've got some important, boring adult work that I must do. You'll help me out, right?"

"...Fine." Severa spoke with a sigh after a long pause.

"Thank you. He'll be around in half an hour; maybe you could convince him to let you tour that fascinating library of his."

"You mean the one he electrocuted me in?" Severa stood up and almost matched Grima's eye level.

"Yes, that one." Grima took another step back and nervously went for the door. "Gotta go, toodaloo!" And with just a blink of an eye, he was gone, leaving a grumbling Severa to get to her feet and open the door in search of her grandfather.

* * *

By the time Lucina had woken up and exited her room, she found the rest of the Shepherds sitting and talking in the main car. They all smiled and waved to her, seemingly forgotten how much of an ass she made of herself yesterday, and she nervously smiled and waved back.

"Morning…" She spoke in a weary voice. "Is breakfast provided or-"

*"Out of the way, worms!" A cackling voice was heard behind her. She turned around to see Validar enter the car from the back, pushing a cart with him. "Come get your slop!"

Lucina locked eyes with the gray man, whose own eyes widened as he recognized her. "You?! How did you get on here?!"

"I could ask you the same," Lucina replied in a cold voice. "And I'd request that you refer to my family as something other than 'worms.'"

"What are you going to do? Scare me?" Validar asked as he stopped the cart and handed a plate of eggs to Ricken and Cherche, who sat in the front row.

"Well, you remember what I did to your colleague yesterday." Lucina reached for her sword. Validar paused while he was handing more breakfast out, staring at Lucina with wide eyes. He still remembered Excellus' shrill screams while Validar dragged him to an infirmary.

"You wouldn't dare." His voice cracked.

"I would because I value the well-being of my family over the man who killed them." Lucina spat back as she stood up.

"...Fine." Validar resumed pushing his cart and handing out meals. The Shepherds grumbled a 'thanks' as they received their breakfast. Validar handed a platter to Lucina, who didn't even speak to him. "Here you go. Hope you…" He almost gagged on his words. His face scrunched and he looked as though he had swallowed five lemons in one gulp. "Enjoy it."

"What is your job here? Are you just a glorified servant?" Lucina asked. Validar stopped and sighed at the idea of spending more time speaking with her.

"I am the conductor of this holy vessel. Part of my duties involve rationing breakfast out."

"If you're the conductor, then who's driving the train right now?" Lucina asked.

"The autopilot," Validar grumbled back.

"So you're not even needed to drive this thing? Must be a pretty worthless job." Lucina retorted. Gaius covered his mouth to stifle his giggling.

"Oh…! Oh, you little…" Validar's veins were bulging on his long face. "I will not sit here and take these insults! I am the headmaster of the Grimleal! I am the most important man inside this train, barring my lord!"

All the Shepherds began to laugh. "Stop mocking me! I am wise! I am skilled! I am important!"

"You protest too much!" Stahl replied. Validar let out a distressed yell and ran into the next car, leaving the breakfast car unattended to.

The Shepherds and Lucina continued to laugh for a while until they settled themselves and began to distribute the food on the cart amongst themselves.

"He seems quick to anger. How come you were all silent while he insulted you earlier?" Lucina asked after finishing her breakfast of eggs, which tasted quite good.

"We just don't care. People like Validar feed on attention, so we don't give him what he craves." Gaius spoke.

"Seems to me like he can't handle attention anyway," Lucina grumbled.

Validar, on the other hand, was pressing his ear against the door and hearing the rude comments aimed towards him.

 _The nerve of these people. It's not like I kille- Oh, wait, I did kill them_. Validar reminded himself then turned around to something scarier than mean comments.

His homicidal granddaughter.

"Morning." Severa waved as Validar gasped and backed up against the wall.

"You! Oh, I should've known! Wherever that damned spawn of the Exalt is, you're sure to be nearby! What is it you want? My arm? Excellus' other arm?" Validar tried to avert his gaze while Severa just held her arms at her side.

"Hi, grandpa." She spoke with a blasé tone. "Grima said I should spend the day with you because he's too busy talking to other people."

"...What other people?" Validar stood upright with a raised eyebrow, looming over Severa with his lanky frame.

"People more important than you, probably. Why else would he make me babysit you?" Severa folded her arms and frowned.

"You? Babysit me? That's rich. Clearly, I'm the babysitter here for the rambunctious granddaughter who already killed me once!"

"I killed you?" Severa was taken aback. "What, do you have nine lives like a cat? Is that why your goatee looks like a tail?" Severa poked his goatee, which jiggled like pudding.

"Don't touch me!" Validar brought his head away from her. "Remember my library that you destroyed?"

"We barely touched anything! But keep going."

"I only have ten spare bodies left in there, thanks to you." Validar paced back and forth. "I tire of standing." He waved his hands and summoned another of those portals that he used. He walked inside; Severa reluctantly followed. She found herself back in the library from two days ago, but it felt like a month had passed since she had discovered this place. Books continued to fly through the various shelves that towered above in the dark space. Validar was dead ahead and sitting at a table adorned with purple orbs of light.

"Weird place you got here." Severa pulled a chair back and sat down. "What, does it run on arcane magic or something?"

"You couldn't be more wrong if you tried. This interdimensional space runs on its own laws of time and space, and I won't bother explaining it to you when it would just go in one ear and out the other." Validar's leg was raised over his other. He noticed that Severa noticed, then adjusted his leg back to the side of his other. "Anyways, allow me to show you… Attention! All library staff! Surprise roundtable is being held right now!" Validar called out. Soon, the ghostly clones of Validar emerged from the hallways of the library and gathered around.

"Hello, Severa." The clones spoke. Their voice was the same as Validar's but their inflection was much nicer. Severa waved back. She counted about ten shades in total.

"As you can see, these fine gentlemen are my spare bodies. Whenever I unfortunately die, as demonstrated by Lucina stabbing me with her sword, I just inhabit one of these bodies and come back good as new."

"Well, I've only got one life, and I seem to be spending it more wisely than you ever could," Severa spoke back. Some of the shades laughed while Validar glared at them.

"Can you stop with the nasty insults? I'm just trying to be friendly, you know." Validar looked genuinely upset, which made Severa feel slightly bad about mocking him in excess.

"...Sorry." Severa realized she may have gone a bit too far in a few places.

"Regardless, there is something you can help me with." Validar stood up and walked to a nearby shelf. "I would tell you my life's story, except the problem is that I don't know it either. Part of my indoctrination into the Grimleal involved stripping me of my memories."

"Well, that sucks."

"Yes, for… lack of a better term. Every day, I remember something different about your grandmother, then the next day I forget what I had learned yesterday. Fortunately, I take notes in the form of these diaries." Validar pulled a book out of the shelf and cracked it open. "Day twenty-five of the twelfth month of the twenty-second year. Today I remembered that she loved shopping for the holidays."

"She sounds nice." Severa was intrigued at the idea of who her grandmother was. She had always wondered for a while but had forgotten about it recently in the face of more pressing matters. "So what do you want me to do?"

"I cannot relive these memories that I have written down, for some reason not known to me. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that others can. All I ask is that you relive the memories in this book for me, take some notes, and then tell me what you can."

"Sure, I got nothing better to do."

"That's the… erm, spirit, I think." Validar slid the closed book across the table. "Now, just open the book, and when I cast this sleep spell on you, just rest your face on the cover. And try not to drool on the cover."

"Wait, what's this about a sleep spell-" Severa protested before she felt her eyes try to close. Her mind drifted and she noticed Validar waving his hands.

"Too late no take-backsies!" Validar's voice shifted into a much lower pitch as Severa closed her eyes and rested her head on the book. "Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaat dreeeeeeeeaaaaaammmmsssss…" His voice dragged on as she drifted back into the familiar slumber she had only escaped from half an hour ago.


	46. S Act II: A Funeral of Flowers Part X

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section B

A Funeral of Flowers

Part X

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Shadows Withal_ from _Final Fantasy XIV_ when you see one * mark, _Bibliophobia_ from _Final Fantasy XIV_ when you see two ** marks, and _Jubilife City (Night)_ from _Pokemon Diamond/Pearl_ when you see three *** marks.

* * *

*Severa opened her eyes to find herself resting her head on a table. She looked around to see an unfamiliar dining room filled with decorations that were very… unique; the chandelier above that contorted into the Grimleal logo was the best example. All around her was Grimleal-centric decorations that slightly unnerved her. The wallpapers were purple, the fireplace had bronze ornaments shaped like eyes, the list went on and continued to unnerved her.

She looked to the front door to see a woman wearing pajamas that were also adorned with the Grimleal logo. Her hair matched Severa's in color and she even had pigtails, like Severa's. The woman opened the door and yawned as she stretched her arms out. She looked down to something at her feet and sighed.

"Vali!" She effortlessly picked up the large package and turned around. Now that Severa got a good look at her face, she noticed that this woman looked kinda like Robin. Her face, in particular, was a dead-ringer. "Your friends dropped off another one of their weird packages!"

"I'm up, I'm up…" A tall, thin man with pale skin that looked especially sickly walked into view. He only wore a pair of trousers (also adorned with Grimleal symbols), exposing his chest that Severa swore was concave with how thin it was. "What did they send now, Singi?" He looked like a younger Validar, but with natural skin and hair that didn't resemble a skunk.

"Well, let's see…" Singi put the box on the table and seated herself in the chair next to Severa without acknowledging that she existed.

She then opened the box and found a note inside. "Dear, Validar. Happy holidays from your friends in the Grimleal. We had our finest gardeners construct this wreath to hang over your fireplace." She sighed as she pulled out a large wreath in the shape of the Grimleal insignia. "Oh boy, more weird cult stuff… At least the monthly sack of gold is in here."

"What? You mean you don't like having my obsessive followers breathing down our necks?" Validar chuckled to himself as he placed his hands on Singi's shoulders.

"How can you laugh at this yet still let it happen?" Singi pointed at the interior of the room. She looked around and felt as though hundreds of eyes were staring at her.

"I may lack a backbone, but at least I have a sense of humor." He continued to laugh to himself. Meanwhile, Singi just looked like she was fed-up. It was the same look Severa would give to her mother when _she_ was fed-up.

"That's a bad excuse and you know it. You want me to just write a letter and then you can sign your name at the end?" Singi rested her head on Validar's arm. It had taken a while but Severa seemed to catch on to what their relationship was.

"I'll handle it, I promise." Validar lowered his head and kissed his wife.

"You told me that last month, and the month before that, and the month they sent us the wallpaper," Singi mumbled back as she continued to kiss her husband. She stood up as the couple embraced. Severa nervously sat upright and tried to avert her eyes while the tired couple continued to make out in front of her. She thought she could stomach the sight, then decided she'd rather keep her breakfast inside her stomach than continue watching her grandparents canoodle.

Even though she slammed her chair against the table and made gagging noises, she seemed to be invisible to the couple as they continued their public display of affection. She seated herself on the couch and buried her head in her hands, hoping that their moans of affection would stop.

By the time she looked up from the couch, the area around her had shifted from the interior of their house to a town coated with snow. Passerby were snuggled tight in coats, including Severa's grandparents as they stood before her. Snowflakes danced and fell in the wind, although they seemed to pass through Severa's open palm as though she was a ghost.

"Alright, now remember: nobody is thinking mean comments about you. Everyone is too distracted by thinking about themselves to make fun of you." Singi whispered into Validar's ear, although Severa could hear her voice like a shout.

"...If you say so." Validar replied in a meek tone. He nervously glanced at the passerby as though they were assassins waiting to strike. Singi led him inside a nearby building; Severa quickly followed and found them inside the interior of a furniture shop. Singi was busy perusing their selection of loveseats while Validar followed like a child nervously shadowing their mother.

"I like this one." Singi pointed to a mahogany loveseat with a white cushion.

"...Looks nice." Validar nodded in agreement. A person walked by and he pressed himself against a nearby shelf to make space for them. "Sorry." He skittishly grinned for the passerby, who gave him a funny look.

 _Is this really the same man as Validar? He's so… nervous_. Severa thought to herself and was so distracted by just how different her grandfather was in the past, that she failed to notice her grandparents were now at the front desk.

"How much does that chair cost?" Validar asked the shopkeeper as he pointed to the chair they wanted. "Sixty gold?"

"Hundred." The shopkeeper replied with a gruff voice as he folded his arms.

"A hundred?!" Validar raised his eyebrows. "I've seen luxury chairs nicer than that for only a fraction of the cos-" He noticed the gruff stare of the shopkeeper and almost croaked.

"Then what the hell are you doing in my store?"

"T-trying to buy goods for a cheap price! But apparently, the big sale sign on your front window was a lie!" Validar's fear was swelling with every second.

"Now, now, honey." Singi stepped in and held her hands up with a smile. "There's no point in arguing because neither of you will change the other person's mind." The shopkeeper raised his eyebrows. "I guess we'll just have to take our…" Singi opened her husband's satchel and inspected the contents. "Oh, I don't know… five-hundred coins? I guess we'll have to take them to the luxury store if their goods cost the same but are highe-"

"Holy moly! Five-hundred gold?!" The shopkeeper realized that these customers were indeed capable of paying the high prices he set out. "I'll sell you three pieces of furniture for one hundred and twenty!"

"This is quite a bargain." Singi pressed her finger to her chin. "Unfortunately, at that price, we could buy _two_ chairs of much higher quality from the store across the street."

"Fine! Three for sixty gold! Take it or leave it." The man had cracked at the idea of not making a sale. Validar took a sigh of relief as Singi dropped the gold on the counter.

"Pleasure doing business with you." She smiled a coy grin as she walked to her new loveseat.

"Do you two… need some help carrying that stuff out?" The shopkeeper asked.

"We could use a tarp, but we'll handle the rest," Singi replied as she picked out two smaller chairs and placed them on the large loveseat. She stood at one end and motioned for Validar to stand at the other. "Alright, on three we lift. One…"

Validar muttered a quick prayer and an incantation. His hands glowed with purple light. "Two… Three!" The veins on Singi's head bulged as she lifted her end of the seat up. Validar levitated his own side up with his magic effortlessly.

They moved the seat to the front door where the shopkeeper threw a tarp over their pile of furniture, but Singi's fingers gave out and she dropped her side. "Ow! Ow ow ow owww!" She held her red fingers up, then noticed that Validar was lifting the whole pile up by himself with his magic.

A crowd had gathered in awe as Validar levitated the covered pile out the front door and into the snowy outside. His hands trembled as he noticed the crowd; the pile shook and threatened to drop to the snow.

A pair of hands wrapped around his own and supported them. "Easy there. I'm here, just focus on me and not the crowd." Singi rested her head on his shoulder. Validar's hands stabilized along with the pile. His breathing slowed to a regular rate as he smiled and focused on his wife.

The scenery around Severa, who continued to watch from afar, shifted as the couple walked out of focus with their floating pile of furniture. It shifted like she was watching it through a puddle that rippled in a storm.

As the rippling stopped, she now found herself back in the living room of her grandparents, now with decorations that looked somewhat normal. Severa didn't agree with the color choice, but at least now the walls weren't staring at her.

Singi and Validar were sitting on their new loveseat, simply resting while the fireplace crackled to life nearby. No words were said, just two lovers sitting by the fire and letting their embrace do the speaking.

Severa's mind began to wander. She thought about the last time she had seen her parents together, looking as happy as this.

 _Would this Validar still sacrifice my father to Grima? Is this Validar still in there?_

Her questions were cut short by the fireplace smoldering out without a single warning. Validar and Singi did not react as darkness filled the room, but Severa certainly felt a chill run down her spine.

Smoke billowed out of the fireplace and crawled into Severa's lungs. She coughed and tried to expel the foul gas, but was greeted with more. The smoke dissipated, leaving her in a blank void with nothing but a faceless woman sitting in front of her. Her bald head was a blank slate: no features or expressions were found. _Is… Is this Singi?_

The faceless woman continued to sit in front of Severa until the scene changed again. As the woman faded away, Severa now found herself in a small, dimly-lit room that she couldn't recognize. It didn't look like the interior of the Ylissean Castle, but it wasn't the interior of the train either.

Another fireplace crackled at the end of the room. She focused her vision and noticed that Validar was looming over a table. His cloak blended into the dark wall and Severa had to focus on him until she walked to the other side of the table. Validar's skin was grey and he looked just as nefarious as he did in the waking world.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, Aversa?" Validar asked. Severa rested her hands on the table, only to realize Aversa was laying on the table and that her hands were phasing through the woman.

"Yes. There's no need to keep this dreadful curse in my thoughts, is there Vali?" Aversa replied. Her tone sounded rather sultry, in stark comparison to how straight-forward her voice was in the waking world. In fact, her outfit revealed a good part of her chest, not by wardrobe malfunction but by design.

"No, I guess there is no reason. Now that you know the truth, I suppose." Validar's voice sounded more gravely and high-pitched; like he was always annoyed at someone. "You're sure you don't… resent me for what I did that day?"

"Oh, no no no. I could never hate you for awakening my true potential, Vali."

"Even though I… 'cleansed' your village?" He looked as though he was sweating out of his mind.

"Can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs." Aversa rested her head back. She looked quite a bit younger, on closer inspection.

"I suppose." Validar shrugged his shoulders and waved his hands over Aversa's face. Waves of magic trickled out and seeped into her eyes; she drifted off into slumber. "I can't promise that all of your memories will be intact."

"That's a price I'm willing to pay," Aversa spoke as she drifted off to slumber. Severa took a step back and inspected the room around her. She occasionally looked back and saw Validar working some sort of spell on the sleeping Aversa.

Her eyes focused on a letter sitting on a desk. She seated herself on Validar's chair and inspected the letter.

"Dear Robin. I don't really know how to word this, so I guess I shall be speaking from the heart as they say. I hear that you and your wife are expecting your first child. It is quite odd to realize that one day I will be a grandfather, and I am-" The ink for the previous sentences before 'am' had dried, whereas the ink after it looked as though it had been just scribed down. "Very happy that you've grown the family tree." Severa winced.

 _How hard is it for him to say 'I'm proud of you'?_ She thought. She then sighed as she remembered the last time she heard her mother say that was a few months ago.

"If you do not mind, I was planning on stopping in at the clergy where your wife will deliver and giving your child the blessing of Grima. I was also hoping we could discuss your future as a potential vess-" The letter stopped. Severa didn't know whether to be upset or… depressed at the contents. Did her father ever receive these letters?

Her thoughts were cut short as she heard Aversa and Validar converse.

"Well," Validar asked as Aversa began to stir. "How do you feel?"

"Cold," Aversa spoke. Her tone sounded different. "Why am I wearing this?" She looked down to her outfit. "Did you put this on me?"

Validar walked to a nearby closet and handed her a woolen robe. She quickly fitted it over herself and covered her chest. "Thank you."

"Do you… what do you remember?" Validar asked.

"I remember you wiping out my village." She glared.

"Ah, so the procedure was a success." He smiled. Aversa did not.

"Y-yes. Thank you." Her shoulders were tensed as she hurriedly got to her feet.

"...How do you feel about what I…" Validar paused. "Did to your hometown?" Aversa replied with a long silence.

"I understand why you did it." She glared and hurried to the door.

"Is there a hurry? I was thinking we could sit down and have dinner together."

"Oh that's very thoughtful of you, but I uh- I have to go tend to my daughter." Aversa hastily replied.

"Ah, yes. Layla. How old is she now?"

"Four years. I really must be going now, she's probably very hungry." Aversa opened the door to a nearby hallway and stood in the open doorway.

"Alright then, I won't hold you up. Have a happy holiday!" Validar waved and was greeted with Aversa silently slamming the door in his face. "Your welcome for the curse removal!" He yelled to the door with a smile. Footsteps sounded; Severa assumed it was Aversa running away.

**Validar just stood there in silence for a few minutes before returning to his desk. He walked through Severa, who didn't know whether to laugh or wince at how pathetic his mannerisms were.

He stomped to a calendar on his wall and crossed out the twenty-fifth day of December, then sat at his desk. He placed a hand to his left ear and began to speak after sighing.

"...Excellus? Are you there?" He mumbled. "Hello. This is Validar. I was wondering if you wanted to have holiday dinner tonight."

He waited as Severa heard a shrill voice speak from what she assumed was his earring. "Oh, you're busy? No, I understand. Have a happy holiday. May Grima bless yo-"

He cut himself off as he removed his hand from his ear. Severa knelt down on the other side of the desk while Validar bowed his head into his arms.

 _Is he… is he sobbing?_ Severa asked as she heard a faint whimper escape him.

Validar lifted his head up and rested against his chair. His eyes were red and streaking tears down his cheek. Yet he was smiling.

"Just… Smile." Validar mumbled as he stood up and stomped towards the wall. Severa leaned back in unnerved fear. Validar stood in front of a mirror and stared at his smiling, crying reflection. "SMILE, GODS DAMN YOU!" He slammed his fist into the mirror, shattering it as he yelped in pain. "J-just… smile…" He looked to his bloodied fist as pieces of glass jutted out of it.

Severa winced as she stared at his bloodied fist. Validar stumbled to his seat and flopped onto the chair. His face lost even more of its color as he tried to pull the shards out of his knuckles, only to whimper in pain.

He turned his attention to the letter on the desk; he let out another yelp as he crumpled it up and threw it away. Severa walked behind him and tried to wrap her arms around him in a hug, only for her hands to phase through him.

"Happy holidays, grandpa." She mumbled, unheard through Validar's sobbings.

The scene changed, for the fourth and final time as Severa now found herself in Validar's library. The shelves had caught flame along with the books, which were flying in every which way in a panic. Severa looked up to see a flaming shelf creak and moan; she hurriedly ducked away as the shelf crashed to the ground behind her.

She looked ahead to see Validar, sitting at a desk by himself. His shadowy clones were nowhere to be found. Severa hurried to his side and noticed that he held a knife in his grasp.

"Oh, Singi…" He mumbled. "Please… I don't know what to do…" He twirled the knife in his grasp and pressed it to his chest. "I don't…"

Severa tried to pull the knife from his grasp, but again her hands passed through his own. "You'll still love me, right?" Validar's voice cracked. Severa tried and tried to pull the knife away. "I'm coming, my dear…"

With nary a warning, Validar plunged the knife into his heart. Severa's gut wretched as she watched blood spill from the cut and onto his hands. Even more blood pooled out of his mouth as he coughed.

Severa let loose a scream resembling that of a banshee as she tried to avert her eyes. She continued to scream even as she woke up and returned to the real world.

"Good heavens, child!" Validar placed his hands on her shoulders as she continued to wail. "What the hell did you see in there?"

Severa lowered her head onto the table and averted her eyes. Every time she glanced at Validar she could only see his face covered with blood.

"I saw… I saw the man you used to be." Severa mumbled into the table. Validar seated himself at the other side.

"Yes, that is indeed what I asked you to do. But what about my wife?"

"Her name was Singi, and she loved who you used to be." Severa's voice was deadpan serious. "How can you look at yourself and say that you're happy?"

"I am happy." Validar smiled. The same smile he had made when he slammed his fist into a mirror. "Happy serving under Grima."

"No, you're not. I saw you crying by yourself during holiday dinner because Aversa was scared of what you've become." Severa stood up and was leaning over him.

"...How did you see that?" Validar opened the journal that Severa had journeyed through and read aloud. "Day twenty-five of the twelfth month of the twenty-second year. Today I remembered that she loved shopping for the holidays. I removed Aversa's curse from her mind and had a lovely dinner for the holidays. I dreamed about my future under Grima's protection." He closed the book. "I myself wrote that I had a lovely dinner for the holidays. Perhaps you are lying?"

"You wanna know what I saw?" Severa's arms were at her side and her face was red. "I saw a man and a woman who loved each other very much. But for some reason, the man betrayed his lovely wife for a god who granted him nothing but loneliness!"

Validar's jaw was agape as Severa shouted in his face. "I saw the same man, feared by his 'friends' and forced into isolation by his insanity! I saw the man force himself to appear happy, and try to reach out to his son before realizing he had _failed_ him!"

"Okay, okay I get the poin-"

"I WATCHED, HELPLESSLY, AS MY OWN GRANDFATHER KILLED HIMSELF RIGHT HERE!" Severa screamed. Validar leaned back in his seat and shut his eyes. "ARE YOU OKAY WITH THAT?"

"N-no, I'm not." Validar opened his eyes, which seemed to show his terror. "But what you saw was just my fears. There is no chance in hell that I would ever take my own life."

Severa watched him smile and realized exactly what he was doing. "I am fine. I am happy. I am safe. I… appreciate that you are looking out for my well being."

"What kind of granddaughter doesn't look out for their depressed grandfather?"

"I am not depressed." Validar continued to smile unnervingly as he stood up. "Thank you for helping me with this experiment. Do you have any more insights on my wife?"

"I want the man you used to be back." Severa walked away. "And if he was still in there, he would learn how to stop lying to himself about how he feels."

Validar simply sat in his seat and summoned a portal for Severa to exit through. She promptly left the library, leaving Validar by himself as his shades crowded around him.

"Who are you clones of?" Validar asked the shadows.

"Yourself, sir." They all replied in unison.

"Which me?" Validar asked himself as he clutched his head. _Was Severa right? Was Grima right? Am I right?_

He stood up and parted the crowd of clones with his hands. He walked through the library, feeling his pulse fluctuate with every step until he arrived in the grand lobby.

An incomplete painting of his wife hung on the other side. Today he had not painted anything in.

He clutched his head as he felt the same feeling he had felt for every day since he lost his human- gained Grima's blessing: the feeling of a new memory of his wife.

He grabbed a nearby journal and scribbled something in. "Today I remembered that she loved a man who could apologize."

* * *

After Severa had returned to the train, she found that her afternoon was rather uneventful. Grima attempted to make more small talk. Lucina would make awkward stares whenever their eyes met. The Shepherds would say their hellos in a routine. Her mind was only focusing on her grandfather, however.

This changed when during the setting of the sun, Validar opened the door to Severa's room and stepped inside. She looked away from the window and focused on him with a glare.

"Hello, Severa. I need your help with something." Validar stood before her and smiled. A natural smile. "Would you please deliver these invitations to your extended family?"

"O-okay…" Severa raised her eyebrow as Validar handed her a stack of letters, each sealed with a wax stamp of a V.

"Please direct them to the gateway in the hallway outside your room." Validar watched as she stood in the open doorway. "And Severa: I'm sorry. For everything."

"...Thanks?" Severa cocked her head to the side as she nervously smiled, then proceeded to hand invitations out to everyone on the train.

***By the time all the Shepherds had walked through Validar's magic gate, they found themselves confused and in a library unlike any they had seen before. Validar stood before them and smiled, which only confused them further.

"Welcome, friends!" Validar's voice boomed out. Miriel was fascinated by the floating books.

"Go away." Tharja blurted out. Validar laughed to himself as the glares of the Shepherds almost overwhelmed him.

"Now now, let me set my offer on the table first before you dismiss me. I would like to start by apologizing. For everything."

"You mean for killing us?" Stahl asked in a bored tone.

"Yes. Especially that." Validar noticed that Severa and Lucina were in the crowd but at opposite ends. "So, as a way to try and mend our broken bridges…" He snapped his fingers. The tables behind him moved on their own and merged into one large table. His shadows emerged, carrying an entire banquet that they placed on the table. "I prepared a belated holiday feast!"

The crowd watched in mild amusement as the platters were opened to reveal foods of all varieties. "I understand that trying to bribe you all with food could be considered rude, but I had no idea what else to do. Now please, make yourselves at home." The shades pulled chairs out for the Shepherds, who slowly seated themselves around the table. Validar seated himself next to Severa, who beamed with delight at him.

"Thank you for trying, grandpa." She cut herself a piece of turkey and set it on her plate as the crowd began to eat.

"You're welcome, dear," Validar replied back. He never thought he would ever refer to Severa as that, but here he was. He watched as the Shepherds dug into the food, happily making banter amongst themselves and even asking Validar a few questions.

"What made you change?" Cherche asked from across the table.

"Oh, I don't know. I took an introspective look at myself and did not like what I saw. Although my loving granddaughter helped as well." Validar glanced to Severa.

"I don't buy it," Sully spoke up. "But the food's damn good though."

"Well, I suppose that's the best I can hope for." He laughed to himself. Sully mildly chuckled. Validar turned and noticed Lucina, who folded her arms and glared at him. "Lucina, are you well?"

"I'm not sharing a meal with the scum that killed my father." Lucina stood up and glared at Validar. She walked away into the darkness of the library.

"Lucina, wait!" Lissa tried to stop her, only to notice Validar standing up and going after her.

"I'll try and calm her down." Validar smiled at Lissa and dropped his spell tome on the floor, demonstrating that he meant no harm. "Lucina!" Validar called out as he found himself in the back of the library. He peeked his head into a hallway between the shelves, only to find nothing. "Where are you?"

What he didn't know was that Lucina was behind him, aiming her sword at his back. She let out a bloodthirsty scream as she ran him through with her blade. He crumpled to the floor with a wail as Lucina pulled her sword out from his lifeless body. She panted for breath as she stood over her vanquished nemesi-

"There are nicer ways to tell me where you are, you know." Validar groaned as he got to his feet, looking good as new despite a hole in his shirt.

"I've… killed you twice! How are you still alive?"

"I have multiple bodies. It'd take too long to explain." He stood up and dusted himself off.

"So I must kill you again." Lucina bent her knees and aimed her blade at the fiend's chest.

"No, please! Wait!" Validar held his hands up. "I'm sorry I killed your father! I'm sorry I killed your friends! I'm sorry for everything!"

"That doesn't make it okay! You can't just apologize and expect others to forget what you've done!" Lucina yelled back.

"I know! I just… I'd rather attempt to apologize than do nothing!" Validar leaned against the shelf. "I know they're just words, but I am _trying_ to change. Can you please give me a chance?"

Lucina sighed and sheathed her sword.

"...I'm sorry for killing you again." She spoke.

"I can't blame you. I'd want to kill the man I became too."

By the time Validar and Lucina returned to the table, they found that Grima and the Cloaked Woman had joined the feast. The only issue being that Grima was in Validar's seat.

"Uh, sire… It is good to see you, but you are in my seat."

"Yes. Good to see you as well, Validar." Grima looked up at Validar and smirked. "There were no seats left. I hope you understand."

Validar summoned a seat for himself using his magic. The only issue was that there was no room left to sit next to Severa.

"Can you move over so I may sit next to my granddaughter?" Validar noticed that all of the Shepherds, Lucina and even Severa looked miserable just from Grima's presence.

"No," Grima replied as he consumed an entire chicken leg. "I want to sit next to my daughter." The Cloaked Woman sighed.

"No?" Validar stood over him. "What are you, a child throwing a temper tantrum? Are you the only family member allowed to be with Severa?"

"Watch your tongue." Grima stood up and glared at Validar. "Or else I may have to cut it from your lips. These are my friends, not yours. So how about you learn your place and get back to licking my boots."

Validar glared back as he snapped his fingers. Grima disappeared from the library in a flash of light, leaving a panting Validar staring at the crowd.

"I… I believe he won't bother us anymore tonight. Now please, enjoy yourselves."

All of the Shepherds cheered his name as he smiled. Severa and Lucina both joined in the cheering, although the Cloaked Woman was confused on the location of her husband.

Grima, meanwhile, had been ejected from the library and back into his office at the train. He was in shock at the nerve Validar possesed to stand against him, and continued to stew in rage at how much fun the Shepherds were probably having without him. How happy Severa looked to be with someone that wasn't him.

An idea formed in Grima's mind; a particularly nasty idea that made him grin from ear-to-ear. Severa wouldn't complain about spending time with him if she didn't want to spend time with her friends.


	47. S Act II: A Funeral of Flowers Part XI

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section B

A Funeral of Flowers

Part XI

Author's Note: I recommend listening to _Clock Towers Beneath the Sea_ from _A Hat in Time_ when you see one * mark.

* * *

Once dinner was finished and Validar had said his goodbyes to everyone, who seemed much warmer than when they had entered his library, he summoned a portal for them to leave through. He stated that he would stay back and clean the area for them, which is why he didn't leave with them.

Severa walked through the portal and found herself in a neatly decorated room, away from the other Shepherds. The floor rocked in a steady rhythm, meaning she was back on the train. She looked behind her to see Grima sitting behind a desk with small reading glasses on.

"Ah, didn't see you come in." Grima noticed that his daughter was in his office and smiled. "Did Validar teleport you back in here?"

"Yeah," Severa replied without even making eye contact. Instead, she focused on a nearby window and looked out to see the desert shrouded in the darkness of night. "...Which way is this train heading?"

"West. Towards Valm." Grima spoke as he stood behind her. "Anyway, I've heard the most interesting thing abou-"

"Valm?!" Severa cut him off and raised her eyebrows. "Turn this thing around right now! Lucina and I need to get back to our friends!"

"Unfortunately, this train isn't turning around or stopping anytime soon." Grima sighed. He looked increasingly frustrated. "Once we reach Valm, we'll start the round-trip back to Ylisse." Severa looked like she might have a panic attack at this news. "What, you're worried your friends will die?"

"Yes!"

"Yet you're speaking to the one who you're afraid will kill them." Grima went back to his desk and pulled out a map. "If you wish, they shall have my protection. Where are they located?"

"...Are you going to fly over and destroy them?" Severa raised her eyebrow.

"No. Why would I do that?" Grima asked.

"Why would you kill most of the human race, including my mother and father, for nine years?"

"I was…" He paused. "I was a different person back then."

"That's it?" Severa leaned over his desk. "No 'I'm sorry'? Just an 'Oh I killed thousands but I swear I've changed'?"

A long pause followed. Grima flared his nostrils while the chimney of the train let out a loud whistle. "You want everything, don't you? You want to get your revenge on mankind while you pat yourself on the back and say you're doing good deeds for them. You want to take over my father's life but still be your own person while you wear his skin like a coat."

"I overheard your friends say such horrible things about you." Grima's tone changed completely. He unnervingly smiled while his eyes twitched; he looked like he wanted to explode in a fit of rage. "They called you such mean names…"

"Oh, really?" Severa folded her arms and glared back. "What names did they call me?"

"They, uh…" Grima struggled to think of an insult on the spot.

"And why did they say this while you were in earshot?" Severa raised her eyebrow.

"Well, the funny thing about that is…"

Grima was interrupted by Severa slapping him across the face. He lurched from the shock and glared back at her.

"It doesn't matter whose face you wear; you're still the same lying snake on the inside."

"Go to your room." Grima loomed over her like a tower over a molehill. She puffed out her chest and stood her ground.

"No."

"I SAID GO TO YOUR ROOM!" He shouted in her face. The chimney of the train whistled for a few seconds while his spit flew in her face. The veins on his forehead were throbbing.

Footsteps sounded behind Severa. Grima turned his focus from her to something behind her. "...Hello." He spoke in a shockingly meek tone.

Severa looked behind her to see the Cloaked Woman standing in the open doorway. Her shoulders were tensed and she gave off an enraged aura. She stomped towards Grima and scribbled a note out. "...I understand." Grima read the note and his posture slumped; Severa could not read the note from where she was standing.

The Cloaked Woman tossed the note to the floor as she scribbled a new one out. "She struck me," Grima replied to the note. The Cloaked Woman turned around and showed Severa a new note.

"Is this true?" She tossed the note to the growing pile on the ground. Severa nodded her head which made the Cloaked Woman write out a new note that she showed to both Severa and Grima. "Apologize. Both of you."

"Severa, I'm… I'm sorry, for everything. I know it's not much, but I don't know what else I can do." Grima solemnly spoke. Severa paused, still shaken by his sudden outburst of anger.

"...I'm sorry for hitting you," Severa replied. The Cloaked Woman walked away and Grima returned to his desk; his fingers were steepled and his eyes were closed. Severa picked up the notes that the Cloaked Woman had discarded and sorted through the ones she had read until she found the first note the Cloaked Woman had written.

"Don't yell at our daughter."

Severa's eyes were glued to the word 'our' and could barely tear her eyes away from it. She looked up from the note to the Cloaked Woman but discovered that she had left. Questions swirled in her mind as she walked through the open door, leaving Grima in his office alone.

She walked past several cars, all of which housed rooms for the passengers like Severa's, but they were empty. She found the Cloaked Woman sitting by herself in a room full of seats, like the ones the Shepherds were in. A quick glance outside showed that there were more cars in the back of the train, meaning that Severa was indeed near the front of the train.

The Cloaked Woman noticed her approach and simply sat there, looking out the window.

"...Who are you?" Severa asked; her heart was racing. The Cloaked Woman simply said nothing and patted the spot on the seat in-between her and the window. Severa nervously shuffled past her and sat down, looking out the window to see a sight that shocked her.

The ocean dividing Ylisse and Valm was approaching, and fast. The train hurdled towards it and the tracks seemed to go straight into the sea. Severa's heart raced; she could only envision herself trapped in the train as it hurdled into the ocean and doomed her to a watery grave. "Stop the train stop the train!" She began to hyperventilate; memories flashed back to her of her previous attempts to swim, which had ended in failure without her mother.

The Cloaked Woman wrapped her arms around Severa in an embrace, shielding her from her visions of the outside as the train lurched down and into the sea. Severa closed her eyes and let out a muffled scream, both from her fear of drowning and her fear of the Cloaked Woman strangling her.

*Ten seconds passed after Severa heard the waves crash against the train. She held her breath and continued to shut her eyes. She gasped for breath after a good while and opened her eyes to see a blue light shine through the Cloaked Woman's embrace.

More importantly, she saw a long strand of crimson hair dangle in front of her face. The same shade of crimson as Morgan's hair. The Cloaked Woman pulled herself back and stood up; the long strand of crimson hair spilled out of the left side of her hood and dangled at her side.

Severa could barely focus on her hair; her eyes were glued to the window which showed a sight she never thought she would see again. Swimming past her in the azure world underneath the waves was a wide variety of sea life, bathed in the blue light of the water and the moonlight above. She counted schools of fish, strange creatures that poked their heads out of shells, and large creatures with fins at their back and long beaks that made faint clicking noises. She looked to the front of the train to see they were traveling in some tunnel made of glass constructed above the seabed. Blue crystals were placed at certain points of the tunnel.

In fact, the scene heavily reminded her of when she went swimming with her mother and the fantastical world she would see underneath the waves.

She only managed to tear her eyes away from the fantastic sight to see the Cloaked Woman dart out the next door in a hurried manner. Severa slowly got to her feet and saw the nearby benches bathed in the same blue light as she followed after her.

She entered the next car, a hallway like the one her room was in, and saw the Cloaked Woman tuck her hair into her cloak. Severa called out to her, yet she continued to flee out of the car and into the next. Why did her hair look like her mother's? Why did she claim that Severa was her daughter?

Before Severa entered the next car, she was under the impression that there were only three types of cars on this train. Cars with hallways and rooms for passengers to sleep in, cars full of seats for passengers to sit in, and Grima's office. The car she chased the Cloaked Woman into, however, seemed to be a new one as it had no windows whatsoever and only contained large, empty cylinders of glass. The Cloaked Woman ducked into the next room and Severa followed, eager to leave this puzzling place.

Severa chased her into another car, a hallway with rooms for people to sleep in. Her legs began to ache and her mind began to wander. Her eyes began to droop, tired from the long day she had; the lullaby-like sounds of the ocean outside didn't help.

Her knees felt like pudding as she collapsed to the floor. She tried to get back up but found herself staring at the carpeted floor. She almost closed her eyes from the rhythmic motions of the blue lights as they danced along the carpet.

A hand rested on her shoulder; she looked up to see the Cloaked Woman kneeling in front of her and holding Severa by the shoulders. She helped Severa up to her feet; the Cloaked Woman slumped Severa's tired body against her own and helped her to the next car.

The Shepherds were sitting in the next car; their eyes were glued to the windows. Gaius was the first one to notice Severa's appearance.

"Hey, Severa! Look at this!" Gaius called out before noticing her drooping eyes and slumped posture. Severa looked over in her weary vision and saw a massive, blue fish-thing swimming through the sea. Its lower jaw was rounded, its fins looked powerful as it gently swam through the sea, and its back fin moved with a slow yet strong force. It dwarfed the size of the train and might even give Grima's dragon form a run for its money in a contest of length.

The massive creature let out a call that echoed throughout the train. It sounded like a noise Severa had never heard before, although it only added to her weariness. The Cloaked Woman helped her to the next car, and the next, and the one after that. It all became a blur to Severa's sleep-deprived mind until she found herself sitting in a room. It wasn't her room, but that didn't stop her from looking longingly at the bed.

The Cloaked Woman had her back turned, looking out the window at the sea life. After what felt like an eternity, she turned around and slowly removed her hood.

Severa's eyes widened from her slumber as she saw a face that she had grown up seeing for sixteen years, and the same face that she had buried. It was her mother's, only now she was wearing a visor over her eyes.

Her mother's long, red hair spilled out of her hood and reached her waist. Severa's eyes began to water.

"You… You're dead!" Severa had lost her exhaustion and was now standing before what she believed to be the ghost of her mother. Her heart was racing and her hands were clenched.

Cordelia scribbled a quick note out and held it before Severa, who could barely read it through her tears.

"I'm here. I'm not leaving you again." Severa sniffled and wailed as she read the note. The azure warmth of the window shown against Cordelia as Severa wrapped her arms around her mother and let out another howl; a strange mixture of unbridled joy and anguish.

Severa slowly closed her eyes in her mother's embrace, the same embrace that was there for her for countless nights, and one that she thought she would never feel again.


	48. S Act II: A Funeral of Flowers Part XII

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section B

A Funeral of Flowers

Part XII

* * *

Severa's eyes fluttered open, albeit slowly as they focused on the ceiling above her. Her dream last night was especially outlandish: the train had gone underwater and her long-dead mother was alive. As she looked around to see that she was lying underneath the covers of her bed, she was reminded of when she hallucinated her mother giving her a bath at the Grimare-

A cursory glance to her window showed the same blue, underwater world that she had seen in her dream. Darting past said window was a long fish with a beak that resembled a snake. Before her mind could even process what this meant, she felt a hand tap her on her shoulder.

Severa turned around to see her mother leaning over her, like a ghost of her past. Her heart racing, she slowly pressed her finger to her mother's bare arm. She felt her finger press against the familiar skin of her mother; her heart continued to race as she laid on her side in stunned silence.

"...You're… alive?" A visor hung on her mother's face, just like last night. Cordelia grabbed a quill and paper before scribbling a note down.

"Yes. Do you remember last night?" Her writing asked.

"N-no, I do. I j-just…" She stumbled over her words like a nervous understudy in front of a live audience. "Gods…" Her mind still struggled to process the sequence of events that led to this moment. Who the hell did she bury next to her father's grave?

Severa stumbled out of her bed to hug her mother. She realized that she was only wearing a nightgown, but didn't care. She just wanted to feel the embrace of her mother again.

They remained in a hug while Severa quietly sobbed to herself until she heard a door open. She looked over to see Grima enter the room.

"I uh…" He noticed that his daughter wasn't wearing that much clothing and averted his eyes. "Morning."

"You knew about her?" Severa asked, looking from Grima to her smiling mother.

The only issue was that Cordelia was smiling towards Grima.

"Yes. I saved her." Grima replied.

"From risen." Severa glared. "Meaning you engineered a scenario where she would need your help."

"You expect me to have complete command over an entire undead army?" Grima seated himself on a nearby chair. "I just sent those shambling corpses out to round your friends up here. It's not my fault they happened to stumble upon her."

"So you think killing all the people here was merely 'rounding them up?'" The veins in Severa's foreheads were bulging. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She shouted.

Cordelia tilted her head to the side in a quizzical manner as she looked at Grima. He gulped in response as he opened the door and quickly bowed out.

"Cordelia, can I speak with you for a second?" Grima beckoned to her with his hand as he closed the door. She gave a quick glance to the door before kissing Severa on the forehead and leaving the room. As she closed the door, she waved and smiled to Severa as though she wasn't about to converse with the _thing_ that killed her husband.

Severa walked to a nearby closet to see her regular attire hanging from a clothes rack and smelling rather nice. Her mind drifted as she slipped into her clothing; she remembered her night at the Grimaret where she saw her cloak-wearing mother spend the night out with Grima. She also remembered the myriad of times that she was chased by the Cloaked Woman, specifically the time she murdered those hunters in cold blood.

Her hands trembled as she seated herself at the nearby table. She wasn't sure if it was fear at how readily her mother dispatched armed men or joy that she was back.

The door opened; Cordelia walked in with a bright smile on her face. Before Severa could ask what Grima did to her, she wrote a note out.

"Let's go get breakfast." Severa, unable to listen to the quizzical voices in her head, simply smiled and nodded her head.

The door to the Shepherd's car swung open as Severa wrapped her arms around her mother's and followed her inside. They weren't distracted by the azure gleam from outside, instead focusing on Severa and her mother as they waved.

Severa noted that they looked as though they were partaking in their morning routine and not discovering that their friend was alive. Even Lucina of all people simply gave Cordelia a passing glance before returning to her duty of averting her gaze from Severa.

"You uh… You guys remember who this is, right?" Severa asked.

"Hi, Cordelia," Ricken spoke up, answering her question.

"We knew." Gaius stood up and meekly smiled. "We just… didn't know how to break it to you."

"I was surprised it took you this long," Tharja muttered in a droll voice. Severa's cheeks matched the color of her mother's hair.

"Even you knew?!" Severa turned her gaze to Lucina, who nervously pivoted her head towards her former friend.

"I… Um…" Lucina mumbled as her eyes focused on everywhere that Severa wasn't standing. "Y-yes?"

Severa, now feeling quite inadequate in her mental abilities, simply folded her arms and frowned as Cordelia led her down the middle of the car. Her eyes focused on the bench they seemed to be approaching, as it was the only one with an open spot. Said spot was right next to Lucina, the last person Severa wanted to sit next to.

"Mom… Can we not?" Severa tried to dig her heels into the floor while Cordelia dragged her along, smiling all the while. She wasn't sure if her mother knew exactly what she was doing or not, and that terrified her.

Lucina's cheeks flushed red as she noticed Cordelia and Severa seat themselves next to her. Cordelia smiled at her and wrote a note.

"Did you two make up?" The note asked. Lucina opted to stare at the floor instead of answer. "Oh, come on. What's stopping you?" Cordelia wrote another note then turned to her daughter, who was glaring at both her and Lucina.

"Breakfast!" A cheery voice called out as the front door of the cart opened. A ridiculously large cart carrying all manner of foods was wheeled in by Validar, who seemed as though he had a spring in his step. He lifted the glass covering on the cart and handed Severa a plate of pancakes. "I consulted your mother on what your favorite food would be."

"Thank you." Severa smiled back as she took the plate and watched as Validar handed a platter of salad to Cordelia, then a plate of ham and bacon to Lucina. Lucina gave a funny look to Validar as she accepted the plate with a thanks.

"H-how did you know what I liked?" She asked.

"Frederick was willing to help," Validar replied with a smile that only Severa and Cordelia believed was genuine. He continued along his way, returning the spotlight back to Severa and Lucina's squabble.

"Apologize to Lucina." Cordelia wrote a new note.

"I'm not apologizing to someone who called me a savage and gave me a concussion." Severa glared back and spoke with such ire in her voice that Cordelia was taken aback. A brief pause followed, then was broken when Lucina quietly spoke.

"I'm sorry, Severa." Her sorrowful gaze shifted from the floor to Severa. "For… everything. Gregor wouldn't want us to destroy our friendship."

"Why should I give a rat's ass what Gregor thinks?" Severa yelled. Validar's cart stopped with a screeching halt, along with everyone else in the room. Their heads swiveled and their eyes locked onto Severa. "You think you can treat me like an animal and then wax some poetic to win me back over?" She continued to yell as she stood up. Spit flew from her mouth and found its way to her mother's frowning face. "You disgust m-" Severa cut herself off as she noticed the miserable look on Lucina's face. Cordelia stood up and loomed over her with a menacing glare.

"Enough." A hastily-scribbled note read as Cordelia held it in front of Severa. Severa puffed out her chest and glared back, but found her composure broken as Cordelia grabbed her by the shoulder and began to lead her away from Lucina.

"Where are we going?" Severa yelled as she struggled against her mother, but found herself dragged past the judgemental glares of the Shepherds and into the next car. Her mother continued to drag her along until she was brought back to her room and seated on a chair. Cordelia leaned against the door and folded her arms as she stared at Severa. "You know we left our food in there, right?"

Her mother nodded her head yet did not budge. "What is your problem?" Severa stood up and stomped towards her mother. Cordelia's brow furrowed as Severa stuck her finger in her face. "First you treat Grima like you would dad, and now you're siding with Lucina over me? What the hell is wrong with you!"

Cordelia responded by forcing Severa's arm away and opening her mouth as though she wanted to shout. No words escaped her lips, deflating any tension Severa had. "Not only do you leave me alone in that hellhole out there, but now you're taking Lucina's side over mine?"

"That's not true." Her hands were trembling with such rage that her handwriting suffered as a result.

"Why don't you love me! I'm your own gods-damned daughter and you've treated me like nothing for my entire life!" Severa screamed at the top of her lungs. She drew her hand back and tried to slap her mother as her hands quaked with frustration. Cordelia grabbed her by the arm and shoved her back. Severa fell to the floor and looked up at her mother's enraged face. She tossed a note to the ground and left it there as she exited the room; a lock clicked into place seconds after she left.

"You're making it very hard to love you." The note read. Several blotches of ink were darker than the others, as though the quill used to write this message had been used with a great deal of force. Severa crumpled the note up and slammed her shoulder against the door, which did not budge.

She stomped her way to her bed and dumped herself onto it. Her mind was stewing on what her mother had written and then began to wander.

The scenery around her shifted to a campfire set against the dark night sky. She stood up and felt dirt underneath her shoes. Her gaze then drifted up to see her and Lucina sitting on a log at the fire. The Severa from one week ago mumbled something about how annoying Inigo was.

"Why is she asking this?" Her voice echoed and danced around Severa's hearing, yet the past Severa did not move her mouth. She remembered she had thought this when Lucina asked why she found Inigo so annoying.

Lucina replied with a quick statement saying that Inigo was trying and that Severa should give him a chance.

"Gods, she's so difficult sometimes…" Lucina's voice drifted around, yet her mouth was still. "She gets forgiven by her mother for saying horrendous things, yet can't learn forgiveness on her own."

Severa took a few steps back from the past version of herself and Lucina, then a few more. She broke into a full-on sprint away from them, refusing to look at them any longer. Another change in her surroundings followed; she found herself laying down on her bed and felt the blue light of the ocean wash over her. Severa groggily raised her back and looked out the window, yet nothing interesting was swimming by.

The only thing she could think of was how many mistakes she had made, and how many of her friends' that she refused to forgive. How many relationships she had ruined with her standards that not even she could meet.

* * *

"You disgust m-" Severa jeered as she locked onto Lucina's eyes with the ire of a bull. Cordelia stood up, her back facing Lucina and leaving it to her imagination what sort of face she made that was capable of shutting Severa up. She grabbed her daughter by the shoulder and dragged her away and down the car. "Where are we going?" Lucina watched and refrained from tossing any comments towards Severa as she was dragged into the next car.

The Shepherds turned their gaze from Severa to Lucina, who simply hung her head and stared at the floor through her teary eyes. She sensed someone sitting down next to her.

"Hi, Frederick-" Lucina mumbled then noticed that the person sitting next to her was actually alive. "...O-oh." Her fist almost swung at Validar out of instinct while he sat next to her.

"Well, that was… something." Validar looked to the door with a nervous smile. He looked just as uncomfortable as Lucina, yet stayed in his seat. Frederick watched from afar with his arms folded. "She can be quite a handful, huh."

"Sometimes she gets like this. It's best to just let her blow off some steam." Lucina resumed focusing on the floor. Validar paused for a moment speaking, although it looked like he was hesitant.

"You mean you stick by her after these outbursts?" He asked.

"I wouldn't be a good friend if I gave up on her after one misstep." After she spoke, Validar wanted to point out that was exactly what Severa just did to her, but he stopped himself.

"Would you mind following me to your room? I have something I wish to discuss in private." He asked. Lucina raised her eyebrow in disbelief while Frederick intervened.

"No matter how radical your change in attitude has been, I will never leave you in a room alone with my liege." He stood before Validar like a disgruntled father.

"I understand. You can come with us if you wish." Validar stood up and meekly stood before Frederick, well aware that this behemoth of a man could bludgeon him to a pulp at a moment's notice.

"I thought you said it was private." His eyebrow raised.

"Well, it can be private between you, Lucina and I." Validar shrugged. Lucina stood up and glanced at Frederick.

"Let's just get this over with." She stomped away, out of the car and towards her room. She sat down on her bed and watched as Validar entered. Frederick was nary a second behind and intensely staring at Validar the whole time. "If you're going to assassinate Frederick and me, just get it over with."

"You really don't trust a single bone in my body, do you?" Validar sighed as he stood in front of Lucina and faced the window behind her. "Alright, hit me. Come on."

He was greeted with a dumbfounded look from Lucina and Frederick. "What? Am I speaking ancient Altean or something?"

"Excuse me?" Lucina tilted her head to the side.

"You've got a lot of pent-up frustration inside you. I can tell." Validar continued to stand there. "Your bloodline isn't known for their lack of violence."

"...What does that mean?" Lucina stood up and glared back at him.

"I spent a lot of time dealing with the aftermath of your father's battles. He understood when killing your opponents was a necessity, and he had quite a knack for it. Surely you agree, Frederick?"

"Milord did understand the necessity of killing in warfare, yes." Frederick chimed in.

"So how come Lucina here did not learn that from him?"

"Because you killed him before he could teach me anything besides swordplay." She interrupted the conversation and stood up, fists clenched and shoulders tensed. "You BLACK-HEARTED BASTARD!" In the blink of an eye, Lucina slammed her fist into Validar's shocked face with ten years of pent-up revenge backing up her blow. He crumpled backward from the strike and fell to the floor like a training dummy. Lucina continued to loom over and strike him, screaming with every blow. "Gods. Damn. You!" Her fists ached but she could not care.

Only until she leaned back did Lucina discovered that her whole body felt as though it was on fire. A scream escaped her lips as she stared at the ceiling; tears trickled down her eyes, yet she felt relief.

Validar coughed and rolled over on his side. His face was bloody yet smiling.

"You… throw a mean punch…" He raised his hand and patted Lucina on the shoulder. She replied with a weak tap of her fist to his shoulder. "Don't you… feel better? Doesn't it feel better to... knock the stuffing out of a heartless... bastard like me?"

"I suppose…" Lucina mumbled as she fell on her back. Frederick rushed over and helped her to her feet as she rested on his shoulder. She looked at her bloodied knuckles, and where once she would've felt shame for such barbarism, she felt something else. "Frederick… Would father want me to kill?"

Frederick paused for a moment before speaking.

"I think Milord would want you to know the difference between who deserves mercy and who deserves wrath. That is the highest duty of the Exalt: to judge those they meet in combat."

Lucina paused as well. She had not looked at it that way.

"I'm going to go talk to Severa. Thank you for the help, Validar." Lucina smiled while she walked towards the door.

"You're…" Validar coughed another pool of blood onto the floor. "You're welcome."

"Milady, can you send for Lissa or Maribelle?" Frederick turned his gaze to the disheveled man lying on the floor. "I want to try some of this stress relief for myself." A smile crept along his face while Validar groaned.

Lucina exited her room and entered the main car to see the Shepherds staring at her. They asked if Validar had tried anything on her, but she stated that he had shown her a wonderful method of stress relief that Frederick was trying out for himself. A quick note was added that Lissa would be needed once Frederick was done.

More importantly, a guard like the ones at the factory in the desert stood before the exit to the front of the train.

"Hello." Lucina waved as she approached. The guard did not. "I just need to pass and speak to my friend." She tried to side-step him, only for the guard to position himself between her and the door.

"No can do, lady. I'm under direct orders to let nobody past this point." The guard spoke.

"Who issued this order?" Lucina tried to slip past again; the guard seemed to be getting frustrated now.

"The Creator." He drew his baton and Lucina watched as it crackled with electricity. "Now how about you be a good little girl and shut the hell up before I jam this down your gullet?" Lucina noticed the electricity of the baton as the guard held it directly above her face. She let out a quiet sigh of rage as she seated herself next to her friends and family, wondering what kind of asinine stunt Grima was pulling now.

* * *

"Yes, you heard me right," Grima spoke as he reclined his chair back. A guard stood before him and remained in a statuesque saluting position. "Nobody is allowed past this car of the train. Not even Validar." He held a diagram of the train up and pointed to one of the rear cars. Then, he looked around the walls of his office before focusing back on the man. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Sir yes sir!" The guard spoke while he saluted. Grima smiled and focused on the door behind him. With a speedy march, the guard left Grima's office and passed by Cordelia, who entered through the same doorway.

"Hello, honey." Grima smiled as he stood up. He pointed to his now-vacant chair and allowed Cordelia to seat herself in it while she smiled. "How's Severa doing?"

"She's being very difficult." Cordelia scribbled a note out while Grima rested his hands on her shoulders.

"Gods, you feel tense." His fingers continued to massage her shoulders while she leaned back. "Sorry to hear that about Severa, by the way. We should do something as a family. Something we could all bond over."

"A dance?" Cordelia's note asked.

"I… would not be opposed to that idea." Grima watched as she excitedly wrote another note.

"A dance sounds wonderful." Even before Grima finished reading the note, he already began planning which car the dance would be in.


	49. S Act II: A Funeral of Flowers Part XIII

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section B

A Funeral of Flowers

Part XIII

 _Author's note:_ I recommend listening to _Meta Ridley Battle_ from _Metroid Prime_ when you see one * mark.

* * *

The gentle rumblings of the train rocked Severa awake as she focused on the ceiling of her room. Her head turned to the nearby window, hoping to see the gentle warmth of the sea. It was precisely what she needed to make her focus on something other than Lucina, and it was not what she saw.

Fields devoid of anything, including color, stretched out as far as the eye could see. Even the clouds didn't want to be here, as there were none in sight. She leaned up against the window in disbelief at how awful this place looked and longingly gazed to the ocean.

With a sliding sound, the door behind her opened while Grima stepped in.

"Welcome to Valentia." He looked half-awake but still attempted to smile. "And before you ask, I know it's ugly. You don't need to point it ou-"

"This place sucks and I want to go home." Severa folded her arms and glared. Grima stood there; his eye twitched again.

She wasn't sure how many days had passed while they were underwater, but Severa did know that each was more boring than the last. Since she was confined to the front cars of the train, all she could do was either awkwardly sit next to her silent mother, walk around the few cabins she was confined to, or talk to Grima.

"...Listen, I know you're not enjoying yourself here, but your mother and I are trying. Can you please just… try? For us?" He seemed to be holding something behind his back. "We even got this nice dress for you at the dance." The hidden object was revealed to be a dress of poofy, black fabric adorned with purple lines. "See? Look how pretty it is!" He smiled as he waved the dress in front of her like an owner of a dog brandishing treats.

Silence was the only response Severa had in store; Grima's smile deteriorated and matched her glare. "You know I don't have to put up with this, right? The constant insults? The snarky attitude? The horrible behavior in general?" Grima tossed the dress onto her with little regard as he walked away. "Frankly, I'm surprised your mother didn't leave you sooner."

Severa's heart sank and blood rushed to her head in just a few seconds. She threw the dress off of herself and stood up, glaring at Grima while her fists were clenched.

"Excuse me?" Her voice almost cracked. "Are you joking?"

"No, I'm not. You can be genuinely awful." Grima leaned against a wall and folded his arms.

"You… you took my mother away from me."

"Yes, and look how happy she is." He replied. Severa's heartbeat continued to climb. "You think your father leaving is why she was depressed? Take a look in a mirror before you star-"

He was interrupted by Severa standing inches away from him and steaming with rage. Again, she said nothing. Just silence as she continued to quake with anger. "What are you doing?"

His answer came in the form of Severa's clenched fist colliding with his head, sending him tumbling to the floor while she stood over him.

"You know nothing." She grumbled as she spat on him. "About loss. About me. About my gods-damn mother. About how it feels to have your family ripped apart!" He began to stir while Severa kicked him in the head. "Stay down on the ground where you belong!" She grabbed his head by the hair and screamed into his ear.

In the blink of an eye, Grima stood up and wrapped his hands around her throat. She gasped for breath before she was thrown into a nearby wall. Her head throbbed while she slammed against the wall, but before she could defend herself Grima was already upon her. He loomed over her with pupils as black as the dress on her bed.

"Don't tell me what I do and do not know." He growled as he grabbed her by the throat again and lifted her up. "You have no idea how much pain I've endured."

"Cry... me a river, asshole." Severa coughed as she felt her windpipe close.

Grima screamed as he hurled Severa away and stomped out of the room. She tumbled on the floor and attempted to yell, only to let a rasp out. Her throat felt like a desert.

"You want to play nasty?" He turned his head and looked at her as she sprawled out on the floor. "Fine. Then I get to make the next move" Grima stomped away, heading towards the back of the train. Severa's mind began to race as she realized where he was heading, then she began to catastrophize. Her friends were in danger.

She began to crawl towards the exit; her body almost gave up on her as she felt like she might choke on the air itself, but she continued to crawl.

The door slid open, revealing a pair of red boots that she recognized. She looked up to see her mother, towering over her like a beacon of hope. Severa's eyes began to water as she wrapped her arms around her mother's leg.

"H-...Help…" She wheezed. Cordelia immediately wrapped her arms around her daughter and carried her to her bed. Severa looked up through her tear-stricken eyes and saw the distraught look on her mother's face.

Her mother gently lowered her onto her bed and ran her fingers through her hair. "He's… He's going to hurt Lucina." Severa spoke in-between sobs as Cordelia used one hand to hold her close, and her other hand was wrapped around her necklace.

* * *

Ever since the guards started blocking the doors, Lucina found herself spending her time unhealthily obsessing over Severa's well-being. Not even Validar could reach the front of the car, as his teleportation magic seemed to not work as he wanted it to. Whenever he would leave in one of his portals, he would return through the same one and act as though he should be somewhere else.

The other Shepherds kept promising Lucina that Severa was okay. That she knew how to handle herself. But Lucina still felt a pit in her stomach.

Said pit would grow to the size of a chasm as one day, Grima walked into the room while Lucina was simply staring at the floor. She sat on a bench at the very back of the car, but could easily see his tensed shoulders and pitch-black eyes. Without saying a word, Grima locked eyes with her and began stomping towards her, down the narrow walkway between the benches. Her shoulders tensed while she scooted towards the wall.

"Hey, buddy, what's going on?" Gaius asked as he got up from his seat and positioned himself between Grima and the path to Lucina.

"Move, pest." A growl escaped Grima's lips as he grabbed Gaius by the neck and slammed him against a nearby seat. Gaius' ethereal body dissipated from the blow. Grima looked at Lucina and continued to glare.

All of the Shepherds fell into disarray from the sight. Lissa got to her feet and grabbed Grima by the sleeve.

"Get away from her, you monster!" Lissa screamed, desperately trying to drag Grima back. He laughed and drove his fist through her torso, making her body dissipate like Gaius'. More Shepherds threw themselves at Grima, but to no avail. First Lon'qu, then Tharja, then Gregor, then Cherche, and then the rest. All sacrificed themselves to slow Grima down and were quickly dispatched.

Lucina backed up against the wall in fear as images of Grima's massive jaw flashed through her eyes. She watched as the last of the Shepherds took a stand against Grima. Her heart began to race and she felt nothing but agony as they laid down their lives to protect her.

"You shall not lay a finger on her! Do you hear me, fiend?" Frederick had positioned himself between Grima and Lucina while holding the monster's arms at bay. Grima eventually broke his grasp and grabbed Frederick by the head, then forcefully rotated his head until a snap was heard from his neck. Frederick's body dissipated like the rest, leaving nobody in the room besides Grima, a guard at the door, and a terrified Lucina.

"Again, he gives his life to protect you." Grima laughed to himself in a bellowing voice. "He'll be back. They'll all be returned to their corpses and then forced back here, where I'll send them right back to their bodies again, and again.. and again..." He walked past the bench and was looming over her now. "Do you know why they'll keep doing this?"

"I… I don't…" Lucina could hardly formulate a thought besides panic, let alone speak as she cowered.

"Because they love you. They'll lay down their lives for you over, and over, and over. All because of how selfish you are. How weak and insignificant you and your entire bloodline are." Grima spoke without a hint of inflection as he smashed his fist into Lucina's face, knocking her from her seat and to the floor. Her head smacked into the bench in front of her. "Pathetic." Blood stained the bench and dribbled down onto her body.

"S-stop… Please…" She whimpered into the carpet as her gut wretched and her forehead throbbed. She felt a sharp pain in her gut while she yelped, then again. She looked up to see Grima smiling with glee as he kicked her repeatedly.

"The pain you feel right now?" He continued to jam his foot into her stomach. "That's nothing compared to the pain I made your father feel. Or your mother. Or the pain I'll make your brother feel."

"What do you…" She struggled to catch her breath.

"From the very moment you entered Ylisstol, he had a mark placed on his head. As we speak, one of my top assassins is probably killing him, slowly and painfully. And you abandoned him to die..." Grima answered as he stopped his kicking.

"You're… lying…" Lucina spoke back as she turned to face him. Streaks of blood ran down her forehead.

"Do you know why I inflict all this pain to your family?" Grima paused. He lifted Lucina's chin up and stared into her eyes. "Because I need you. I can prattle on all I want about how I'm done killing. But I know that I am nothing without the kill. And what is a killer without a hero to oppose them? What good is Arvis without Sigurd?"

Grima then wrapped his fingers around Lucina's neck as he lifted her off the ground. "History repeats itself, and your father was destined to strike me down like his ancestors. But he failed, and now I'll make sure your life ends just like hi-."

An orange, glowing chain wrapped itself around Grima's neck and pulled him away. Lucina tumbled to the ground and slowly looked up to see Validar standing at the other side of the car and restraining Grima with a magic chain.

"Sire! Control yourself!" Validar yelled as he held Grima back. Grima struggled against the chains for a bit while Lucina slowly got to her feet. "This isn't you!"

"WHY? I'VE NEVER FELT MORE ALIVE, VALIDAR!" Grima screamed like a banshee as he ripped the chain in half, shoved Validar to the ground, then leaned over and held his head above his servant's. "YOU'VE OUTLIVED YOUR USEFULNESS!" He screamed again as he continued to hold his mouth open, then forced Validar's own mouth open.

"No! Stop! Please!" Validar yelped as purple light flowed from his mouth into Grima's like blood through a vein. As more light was sucked out of Validar, his skin began to shift from gray to pale, and his hair lost its white stripes.

Grima was interrupted by a sharp pain in his chest and a blinding light behind him. He looked behind to see Lucina, covered in blood, sweat, and rage, driving her sword through his chest. His flesh began to sear and he realized that her blade was shining with a divine light.

He opened his mouth and screamed in pain. Lucina responded by screaming as well. Their howls of rage melded together while Lucina drove her blade further and further through Grima's flesh. In a quick flash, Grima disappeared and Lucina darted back. She looked at the front of the car to see Grima leaning against an open door. Black blood spilled out of his wound and stained his shirt while he hobbled away. The nearby guard stood in between Lucina and the door.

"...Move." Lucina spoke while she glared at the guard, who drew his baton.

The guard did not respond yet he still approached. Lucina tried to weigh his actions in her mind like her father would. But she would not have the time.

He charged her without a warning, and she sidestepped his advance and stood between two benches while she drove her blade through his chest. Blood rushed to her head as she watched him crumple to the floor. She panicked and quickly withdrew her sword from his wound and stood above his lifeless body, trying her best to not wonder if he had a family.

Validar slowly got to his feet and saw Lucina standing over something obscured by the benches between them. He did notice the blood on her sword, and her panicked expression.

"He would not have offered you the same mercy you wanted to give him." Validar leaned against the bench while Lucina rushed to his aid. His skin was noticeably less grey as he began to wave his free hand around.

No magic left his fingertips, sending a chill down his spine. "Oh… oh no…"

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Lucina asked.

"Well, my back hurts, but there's something more pressing than that." He sighed. "I no longer have access to my magic, meaning I can't teleport you and Severa out of here. Unless…"

He lurched forward with a groan as he clutched his shoulder. Lucina helped him sit down. "There's… there's a warp staff in my office at the front of the train. I stored it for emergencies, and now seems like a good time to use it."

Lucina walked back to the center aisle once she was sure Validar was okay. "You'll have to fight your way to Grima."

"I know." Her voice sounded as though she was avoiding something.

"And… you'll have to kill if you want to save Sever-"

"I know," Lucina spoke again but with determination dripping from her words.

"...I see." Validar watched as she walked away. "I'm sorry that I can't do more to help."

"You've already done enough." Lucina attempted to smile as she turned to face the door. "I'll see you when this is all over."

"Here's hoping we live to see that day." Validar smiled back as Lucina walked through the door and out of view. He shut his eyes and succumbed to his exhaustion, dreaming of his wife, Singi, and remembering everything about her.

The doors to the next car slid open, revealing a small mob of about five soldiers in the middle aisle ready and waiting for Lucina to walk in. Their helmet-clad eyes swiveled and locked onto her while she stepped in, drawing her resolve as well as her blade.

She muttered a quick prayer- for herself and her enemies as she held her sword in a casual stance. A stance her father had taught her. A charge followed, plunging her headlong into their rage and repaying it with her own.

A few minutes passed while the sounds of battle were heard from the train. The door to the next car opened. Lucina staggered inside, lurching against a wall and dragging her sword along the floor. She slightly lifted her shirt up to see a bruise where one of the guards had struck her. Her mind decided not to focus on that, and instead on the fact that Severa needed her.

With a newfound spring in her step, Lucina continued down the hall, searching every room to the right to see if it contained her friend. After a few empty rooms and another hallway car, she found Cordelia leaning against the wall of a torn-up room. Scratch marks lined the coverings, a table was knocked over, and the coverings on the bed were torn in half.

Lucina hurried to Cordelia's aid and knelt down next to her. She scribbled a note between hasty breaths and showed it to Lucina with her shaking hands.

"I tried to stop him. He took Severa." Lucina nodded her head in response as she read the note.

"I'll save her," Lucina whispered into her ear as she hugged her aunt. Cordelia looked confused at first but hugged her niece back.

"Your father and mother would be so proud of you." Cordelia wrote a new note and smiled a weak smile. A tear slipped past her visor and down her cheek. Lucina stood up while still holding Cordelia's hand.

"Just lie down and rest. I'll make sure Severa is safe by the time you wake up." She spoke. Cordelia nodded back in response while she slowly closed her eyes and leaned against the wall.

Lucina continued down the hall, into the next car, and then the next. With every car she passed through, her pace quickened and her footsteps grew louder. Her sword was now at her side and above the ground.

Eventually, she found herself in a pitch-black room. She could barely see her own two feet as she looked down, but a light flicked to life ahead while she looked back up. At the end of the room and bathed in a spotlight was Severa, tied to a chair and her mouth gagged with a rope. Her eyes widened as she stared at Lucina, struggling against her binds and trying to move her chair closer. Lucina slowly approached, shoulders tensed and blade at the ready while Severa spoke muffled gibberish. "It's okay. I'm here now." Lucina smiled and felt her heart beat faster and faster as she removed the rope from Severa's mouth. "I'm so sorry about what I did to you. Can you find it in your heart to-"

*A muffled scream left Severa's mouth and interrupted Lucina. Her eyes were focused on the space behind Lucina, which she turned to face and was greeted with Grima bearing down on her. Lucina dodged out of the way while Grima swung his fist at the area where she was. She landed on her stomach and quickly got to her feet.

The light over Severa had gone out, but in its place was Lucina's blade, now shining with a bright radiance. The red markings under Grima's eyes were also visible in the dark, drawing ever closer with every moment. She instinctively raised her blade and blocked a strike from his claws. Her tense knees almost buckled from the blow, yet she remained steadfast as his hands smashed down on her blade again and again. With every swipe she could feel his strength diminishing; the pauses between his blows grew longer and longer.

Grima panted for breath, a signal for Lucina to quickly strike his chest. He howled in pain as her sword drew a black streak across his bicep, tearing the fabric of his undershirt and sending him on the retreat. Lucina was left alone in the darkness while she strained to focus on the gleam of her sword.

"Severa? Where are you!" She called out while looking in every direction she could.

"Over here!" Severa called out in a direction that Lucina believed was to the left, but she couldn't tell.

"No, she's over here," Grima spoke in her right ear. The hairs on her skin stood on edge while she felt a frigid blast of air next to her. "Come on, Lucina. Can't you find your friend? Or are you as senseless as your father?"

"Don't speak about my father!" Lucina slashed her sword out on impulse, swiping away the darkness and nothing else. She felt a fist smash into her side as a response, and a laugh echoing from Grima's lips.

"Struck a nerve, have I?" He spoke again as he withdrew. "Do you know what I've done to your mother?"

"You wouldn't dare…" She bit her tongue and spoke out. Her grip on her blade was loosening while her heart began to beat out of her chest.

"Oh, the horrors I've visited upon her…" Severa heard Grima's insufferable voice speak out again as she struggled against her restraints. She rocked her chair back and forth in the darkness until she felt the chair tumble onto the floor with a thud. Her struggling continued until she felt something fuzzy and familiar tickle her hands. She couldn't see what this strange object was, but the last time she felt something like it was in the Grimaret. Her heart began to race and her blood began to boil.

"Stop!" Lucina yelled back to the void. She felt something kick her in the legs and knock her down to the ground. Her eyes widened and Falchion was loosened from her grip.

From the light of her sword, she could see Grima standing over her with a smirk as he brought his foot back in preparation to kick her.

"You'll be happy to know she spent every day with me wishing she was dead." He continued to smirk, only losing his expression when something tackled into him and knocked him to the floor and out of Lucina's sight. She heard signs of struggle, and then an ear-piercing screech from Severa.

The lights above flickered to life while Severa screamed in Grima's face. Lucina looked around to see that they were in one of the larger cars, with none of the aisles and a thin covering of purple flakes on the floor. The very same flakes left in Grima's wake. She then looked to her left to see Severa pinning Grima to the floor and repeatedly striking his head.

"Shut up shut up shut up shut up!" She continued to yell with every strike to his head. He tried to resist but felt her strength overpower him into submission while he closed his eyes. Severa caught herself and panted for breath as she slowly got to her feet and turned to Lucina. Her eyes were red like the markings underneath them, yet she was smiling. "Oh my god Lucina I'm so sorry I-"

Lucina looked half-conscious while she stared at Severa, yet she was still smiling while Severa hugged her.

"Do you... forgive me?" Lucina asked with her eyes drooping shut from exhaustion. Her mind was still racing from this new turn of events.

"Yes… We need to get going before-"

Grima began to stir. Severa felt a chill run down her spine as she helped Lucina to her feet, then leaned her tired friend against her shoulder. "Let's get the hell out of here!" Severa looked at both doors and debated which one to pick.

"Validar has… a warp staff in the front of the train…" Lucina pointed to the door leading to the front. With a steady stride, Severa began to lead Lucina through the door. Lucina rested her head on her friend's shoulder.

After passing through Grima's office, they found themselves in a room past his quarters that was frigidly cold and was nothing but a long hallway. The walls were colored blue and icicles were dangling off the ceiling.

"W-w-what the hell is this place? A freezer?" Severa wanted to focus on the door at the end of the hallway, but her eyes were drawn to the small shelves in the walls. Lucina, now able to walk on her own legs, walked over to one shelf and pulled it out.

Inside was the corpse of her Aunt Lissa, whose arms were crossed and eyes were shut. Her heart skipped a beat and she shoved the shelf back in while she screamed. Severa came over to inspect what troubled her and was greeted with the same ghastly sight.

"W-what…?" Severa's eyes grew wide at the sight while Lucina continued to sob over the frozen corpse of her aunt.

"Oh gods…" Her tears froze off of her cheek and shattered on the floor. Severa, meanwhile, began to inspect the nearby shelves. The very first one she opened revealed the corpse of Lon'qu, the next contained Gregor's body, and the rest of the cadavers were soon found. All of the corpses of the ghostly Shepherds were kept in here while Severa's heartbeat climbed. "This i-i-sn't a-a-a freezer." Lucina mumbled while she huddled next to her aunt, both out of distress and cold. "This is a m-m-m-mausoleum."

Suddenly, the blue crystal above Gaius' corpse began to shine with a blue radiance. Severa took a step back, watching it from a safe distance as it continued to glow until the light was transferred to Gaius' body.

A ghostly image of Gaius began to rise a foot off the shelf it was on before it landed back down with a thud. The translucent figure began to stir, and he eventually got to his feet. His eyes focused on Severa's bruised face while he winced.

"Really? I'm only gone for fifteen minutes and you've already got the snot beaten out of you?" He tried to crack a smile only to see Severa glaring and Lucina turn around with frozen tears hanging from her eyelids. "Okay, okay, bad time to make a joke. I get it."

"Y-y-ou're alive?!" Lucina hurried over to her uncle, eyes wide open trying to remain that way despite her exhaustion.

"Alive is one way to put it. Forced to resurrect at my corpse every so often is how I'd put it. But hey, beats having brunch with Sumia's parents." Gaius looked out with a grin as though he was performing a comedy routine. "Eh? Come on, that was pretty funny." Severa and Lucina looked like they might collapse from a combination of stress, exhaustion, and hypothermia while they stared at Gaius with blank faces. "Wow, rough crowd."

Sounds of something thundering behind them sounded. Severa realized that her eyes were no longer red and she could no longer stand up to Grima.

"We have to ke-ke-eep moving." She grabbed Lucina by her arm and led her along. They waved to Gaius as they stopped at the door, and noticed that all the crystals above the other Shepherds began to glow.

"You two get the hell out of here. We'll slow him down." Gaius turned to face the entrance to the frigid mausoleum, shoulders tensed and knees bent. "I know I don't get to say this often but… I couldn't ask for better pair of nieces."

Severa and Lucina smiled as they began to use their trembling hands to fumble with the door. "Stay safe, you two."

"Take care, Uncle Gaius." Lucina waved. Both Severa and her eventually opened the door and shouted back before slamming it shut behind them. They breathed a sigh of relief as the next room filled them with warmth. Perhaps a little too much warmth, as at the very end of the room was a massive furnace. They assumed this was Validar's office, judging by the desk.

Severa questioned how her grandfather could handle this heat as she hurried to his desk and pulled out a small rod. She gripped Lucina's hand and felt her fingers twitch at its familiar feeling. A feeling she did not know she missed until now. "Grima said Inigo is going to be killed. We need to get back to Ylissto-"

The front door flew off its hinges and into the wall as Grima stomped in. His eyes were pitch-black as he glared at Severa and Lucina.

"How do you work this damn thing?" Severa screamed in panic as she clutched the rod and began fumbling with it. Grima stomped towards them and threw Validar's desk at the wall as well, leaving nothing between him and the girls.

Severa and Lucina both screamed in terror as the warp staff flickered to life. They didn't notice that Lucina's brand and Severa's red markings began to glow, but they did notice a bright flash of light explode from the staff.

Grima recoiled from the flash and was knocked to the floor. The staff fell to the floor as well, seeing as Severa and Lucina were no longer in the room. He groggily looked up to see Cordelia leaning over him.

Before Grima could even struggle, Cordelia smashed her boot into his head with such force that he sprawled out even further on the floor. She then pressed the dark gemstone on her necklace to his body. A bright flash of purple ensued, and in its wake was Grima lying on the floor with Cordelia leaning over him.

"What… What happened?" Grima asked while he clutched his throbbing head. His eyes were no longer black. He noticed Cordelia clutching her gemstone, then the signs of damage around the room. "Oh… Oh no… What have I done…" He quickly turned around to see a warp staff lying on the floor, still brimming with energy. Severa and Lucina were nowhere to be seen, despite him calling out for them.


	50. S Act II: A Funeral of Flowers Part XIV

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section B

A Funeral of Flowers

Part XIV

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Green Greens_ from _Kirby Triple Deluxe_ when you see one * mark, and _Rotten Vale_ from _Monster Hunter World_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

With a slight flutter to her eyes, Marla slowly awoke while focusing on the walls near her. She looked down to notice that from where she was sitting, her foot was submerged in the pool of poisonous water. She wiggled her toes and lifted her foot up only to notice how wrinkled it was. Marla pondered how long her foot had been in the water as she leaned her head back on Grima's torso, who slept on the ground behind her. The 'warmth' of his massive body spread to her body as she laid against her draconic lover. One of his wings was even draped over her like a blanket.

A few minutes passed before she decided she should get up, which she promptly did and walked to the river of toxins. She lowered her feet into the water, feeling a chill run down her spine as she waited before she submerged more of her bare, purple legs. As she felt the calming waves of the river rush past her, she cupped a small handful of water and brought it above her face. The water seeped down onto her head, washing away the dirt and grime from last night and acting as a fine wake-up call for her.

*She turned around to see Grima's six eyes were open and focusing on her, yet his only motion was his rhythmic breathing.

"Good morning, my love," Grima spoke in a quiet voice, probably because everyone else in the cavern was asleep.

"Good morning, sweetie," Marla replied as she walked up to Grima's head and pressed her forehead against the scales of his brow.

"I dreamed about you last night." His red eyes were staring up at her. "We lived in a nice cavern underground and had the whole place to ourselves."

"That sounds nice. Was Lord Duma there?" Marla asked.

"Yes, he would visit from time to time." A yawn escaped Grima's lips. "Although, mainly it was just us…" Now his eyes were shifting back-and-forth. If he had cheeks, Marla suspected he would be blushing.

The idea of them leaving the cavern felt absurd to her mind, although she would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the idea of not living with her father.

" _If Lord Duma allowed it…_ " She pondered before shaking her head. Silly thoughts like that had no place in her mind.

She pulled her head back and noticed that he tried to flap his wings in a half-hearted attempt to get off the ground. "I think I'll just stay on the ground for five more minutes."

Marla remembered that every morning, she and Grima would drink some of the coffee Jedah had imported from the southern beaches of Zofia. Yesterday, Grima brought her some while she was still asleep. She figured she should repay him with a similar gift.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," Marla spoke as she waved and walked away, choosing to use her own feet instead of teleporting and expending her magic. She walked past the bend of the cavern, smiling and waving to whatever members of the Duma Faithful were actually awake. Eventually, she was in Duma's section of the cavern, where her god was peacefully asleep and Jedah was sitting at a table reading a newspaper. He wore a white bathrobe instead of his regular attire and was so focused on his paper that he didn't notice his daughter approach until she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Ah, good morning." Jedah dropped the paper and whispered into her ear.

"Morning, father." Marla hugged her father while she spoke. "Remind me where the coffee is?"

Without saying a word, Jedah pointed his thumb at a glass container of coffee attached to a wall. Marla walked over and picked up a jug from a table next to the coffee dispenser. She held the cup under the nozzle of the dispenser and pushed the valve, watching as the hot drink poured from one container to the next.

Her eyes focused on the reflection of herself on the glass of the mug. She saw a tired woman with purple skin, violet hair that tied itself in a bun at the top, and pitch-black eyes.

"So how is Grima treating you?" Jedah appeared in the reflection as well, startling her and almost making her spill the jug while she gasped.

"Like a princess." She spoke with a disinterested tone while she turned around to face her father.

"Did he force his ideals upon you?" Jedah asked again with the grace and tack of a necrodragon in a china shop.

"Father!" Marla yelled, slamming the jug on the table. Some of the coffee splashed out, spilling onto her arm and giving her a burning feeling. She did not care. "He treats me better than you ever did!" She pointed her finger in his blue, annoyed face. "And we are leaving as soon as Lord Duma allows i-"

Marla interrupted herself and looked over to her sleeping god. The eye in his forehead was open and staring at them. Duma's eye closed once he noticed that Jedah and Marla were staring back, pretending as though he had been sleeping all along.

"So he _has_ been forcing his ideas down your throat!" Jedah spoke as he positioned himself between Marla and the rest of the cave. "I will not let him turn you against me!"

"You've done a fine enough job doing that yourself!" She replied with a glare as she held the jug in her hand. She teleported away, only to discover that her father had teleported as well and was still blocking her.

"Lord Duma will never allow this. Right, Milord?" Jedah looked over Marla's shoulder to Duma, who was still pretending to be asleep.

"Jedah, stop lying to the girl. I already told Grima he had my blessing to leave with Marla." Duma replied with his booming voice. Jedah could hardly contain his surprise at this 'news'.

"You… you truly mean that, Lord Duma?" Marla almost dropped her coffee in shock.

"Yes. Once the Brand-Bearers are taken care of, you and Grima are free to do as you please." Jedah stomped his foot in frustration while Duma spoke. Marla could hardly contain her excitement as she teleported away.

Grima opened his eyes to see Marla standing over his head, holding a mug of coffee and smiling.

"Thank you." He smiled back as he opened his jaw. Marla emptied the entire pot of coffee onto his tongue while he continued to lay on the floor like an oversized crocodile. She found that the process of feeding him was easier if she didn't focus on his rows of fangs.

"I want to run away with you!" Marla spoke while she watched the last of the coffee drip into his mouth. Grima began to furiously cough. "Duma gave us his blessing to leave, my love!"

"W-What?! I didn't think you'd be actually serious about that!" Grima closed his mouth while Marla drew close.

"I don't care!" Marla hugged his head and felt his embrace. "I'm tired of living in this cavern! I want to see the world with you! I want to fly through the sky on your back without a care in the world! I want to be free of my father!"

Grima paused for a bit before speaking, taking extreme care in what words he chose.

"Once Alm is dead and Duma is safe, we'll leave."

"Thank you, Grima." Marla pressed her lips to her lover and repeatedly kissed him.

* * *

What felt like water rushed over Lucina's head as she awoke. Her vision was blackened and her eyes hurt as she tried to lift her head up, only to feel the water-like substance push her head back down. She struggled to breathe while she fought to push her head up, and for a brief moment she overpowered the force above her and looked up to see that she was lying face-down in the dirt. Lucina turned her head around to see an unnerving sight.

Laying atop her back and sitting like a snail was a large, writhing mass of blue goo. It jiggled like a platter of jello as it shifted over Lucina's head and pushed her back on the ground. She screamed in rage as she lost her footing and slipped, feeling the sour taste of this thing seep into her open mouth. It continued to rest on her face like a slug. Due to its translucent nature, she could see through it and see the blue sky above.

After a few seconds of screaming, the mass of goo moved off of her body and slithered away out of sight. She clutched her chest and tried to regain her breath as she stood up. Scanning around for this thing that assaulted her, she reached for her sword only to feel nothing in her grasp.

Lucina looked around to see that she was in a small clearing, surrounded by dead trees and bathed in a crimson sky above. It turned out the sky was not blue like she thought it was, the creature just had a blue tint to it. To her left was the writhing mass of jelly, now roughly her height and attempting to swallow her sword.

"Stop!" She yelled as she chased after the thing, plunging her hands towards the hilt that stuck out of its body. Her hands clutched onto Falchion's hilt and held fast even as the goo monster fully submerged her sword into its body. Lucina felt as though her hands were freezing while she tried to pull her sword out of the mass. She could even see the blade in its body while the thing slowly tried to slither away.

Lucina dug her feet into the grime-coated dirt and watched as more and more of Falchion was pulled out of the monster. Eventually, her sword slid out of the thing with a popping sound, and she was thrown back from the lack of resistance. She landed on her rear and watched as the goo slithered past the trees and out of sight.

"Severa! Where are you?" Lucina called out as she stood up, looking around and trying to find her friend. "Severaaaaaa-" She cut herself off as she gazed to her right and discovered a view of her surroundings below her.

It was revealed that she was standing atop a hill with a curved slope, and past the drop Lucina could swathes of even more dead trees, swamps of purple liquids, and something even more disturbing in the distance.

Toppled over in the background as though it was the centerpiece of this macabre forest was a massive, dead tree. It was a good distance away from Lucina yet was still visible from its size. The branches had lost their color and what used to be the top where green leaves would grow was replaced with metal pipes jutting out and suspended above the air. The pipes lead to the very hill Lucina stood on and buried themselves in the dirt slope underneath.

**The growl of a wolf caught her attention as she turned around. Her shoulders tensed and her grip tightened on her blade while she noticed two pairs of beady, glowing eyes in the darkness between the trees. Two wolves emerged, one with ash-white fur and the other with a pink shade of fur.

They bared their teeth and charged Lucina, who stumbled backward in fear and lost her balance. She teetered over the edge of the hill and watched as the wolves continued to rush her down.

The rock she stood on crumbled underneath the weight of her frame, sending her falling back-first down the hill. She reached towards the ledge while the wind rushed against her back and she noticed the two wolves, standing on the ledge and watching her tumble down. Lucina began to roll down the hill, kicking up rocks and dirt while she continued to tumble.

In her disorientation, she noticed that she was about to land on the metal pipes. She stuck her hands in the dirt and tried to grab a handhold. Her nails clawed through the dirt until her falling speed slowed to a crawl. From where she was clutching onto the steep incline, she was only a few feet above the pipe, clutching onto the incline for dear life.

Lucina assumed that Severa must be somewhere around here, and she probably went towards the giant tree in the distance. With that thought in her mind, Lucina slowly descended from her handhold, struggling to regain her breath. She landed atop the steel pipe and felt the clang of the metal from her boots making contact with the tube. It seemed to be heavily rusted as she leaned down to inspect it, only to hear another cry of an animal.

Her eyes turned up and saw three vultures circling her above. Her eyes widened as one of the birds descended upon her. Its wings were blue and its talons sharp as it tried to tear a chunk out of Lucina's arm. She dodged, attempted to strike it with her sword, then lost her footing and fell off the pipe. She landed on the ground with a thud and felt her back flare with pain from the impact. Her lips loosened a cry of pain as she wretched, then slowly used her sword to try and get to her feet.

The other two vultures swooped in for the kill, one with pink feathers and the other with green. Lucina rolled away from their strikes and watched as they lodged their claws in the ground inches from her face. With a newfound fear for her life, she got to her feet and felt her legs move on her own as she sprinted away.

Her heartbeat climbed as she ran for what felt like an eternity past more dead trees before hiding behind one. She didn't hear the screeching of the vultures anymore, but she did look to her left to see a sheep staring at her. Its wool was light red and its eyes were wide as it stared at Lucina.

"H-hey there…" Lucina reached her hand out to pet the sheep while her breathing rate slowed. "What's a cute animal like you doing in a nasty place like thi-" She asked and was interrupted by the sheep clamping its jaws down on her fingers.

She screamed in pain as she tried to wrest her fingers out of this small devil's jaws, and once she finally pried her throbbing fingers out, the sheep bleated at her in an aggressive manner as it rammed its head into her chest. Lucina grabbed the sheep by its head and threw it to the side, watching as it bleated while it laid on its side.

The howls of the forest began to rise to a fever pitch as the sheep cried louder and louder. Her gut sank somehow even lower than before as she sprinted away. She turned her head back mid-sprint to see if anything was chasing her, only to be greeted with nothing but the dead trees.

Lucina felt as though she slammed into a wall as she fell to the ground. She looked up to see a moving mass of fur shaking in front of her. With a mighty roar, the mass turned around to reveal it was a brown bear. It bore down on her with its sharp claws and roared while she backed up on her rear.

An eagle swooped around the bear's head and landed on its shoulder. Its wings were purple and it screeched at Lucina. while the bear swung its claw at her. With barely any time to react, Lucina raised her sword and deflected the blow, sending the bear's claw back. In its pause, Lucina reached for anything she could to deter the bear and settled upon a nearby rock.

She hurled the rock directly at the bear's face. It recoiled from the blow and landed on its rump while the eagle flew away. Lucina got to her feet and ran away. She continued until the bear was out of her sight, only stopping to catch her breath once she was _absolutely_ sure she was safe.

With a sigh, Lucina leaned against another tree and buried her head in her hands as she tried to ponder what the hell was happening. She looked up to see a small turtle walking in a clearing of the forest. Lucina braced her arms and waited for the turtle to aggressively charge her, but she was not attacked. Instead, the brown turtle just walked along as though it didn't have a care in the world.

Suddenly, a glob of some orange substance fell from the sky and landed on the turtle with a thud. Lucina looked up in shock and saw that the turtle was walking underneath the pipes from before, and directly above it was a large hole in the pipe that was dripping the orange goo.

Lucina looked back down at the ground to see the orange goo surrounding the turtle was gone, and the turtle was back. It had grown quite a bit in size, now roughly the height of Lucina while she was sitting down, and its shell now had a purple coloration. Its skin, however, was now white.

The turtle began to angrily stomp towards Lucina but at a comically slow speed. She stood up and walked away, not eager to pick a fight with a turtle. She continued to walk, scanning around for any traces of Severa. Eventually, she found herself in a swamp filled with a purple liquid. Stones lined a path directly through the large swamp, yet four crocodiles swam around in the mire, unaware of Lucina and just drifting around directly in the way of the stones. One of them had orange scales and was missing an eye, another had green scales except for its head, which was black. The next had yellow skin and seemed to be following the others around similar to a younger brother.

The last crocodile, which was the furthest away from the rest, had purple skin and looked disinterested as it sat on the land at the edge of the swamp. Lucina focused on the purple crocodile, almost feeling as though something bad was about to happen.

Her suspicions were confirmed when an albino lion leaped from the trees and sailed towards the crocodile. Its orange mane shook as it plunged its jaws into the crocodile's neck, roaring while the crocodile violently shook and fought back. The other crocodiles swam towards the lion to save their brother, leaving the path open for Lucina. She hopped from one stone to the next, stopping only to see the lion fight off the other three crocodiles.

Unless her mind was playing tricks on her, Lucina swore she saw the lion notice her and then continue fighting the crocodiles, almost as though it was only provoking the crocodiles for her sake. Whatever reasoning this animal had, Lucina continued along the path until she was at the other side of the swamp. She heard signs of the animals continuing to fight, yet dared not look back at the horrific sight she would've seen.

As she tried not to focus on what she presumed was the lion being ripped to shreds by the vicious crocodiles, she instead focused on the open field before her. A small puddle of water rested in a clearing, and although it was still purple, it had a nicer shade that looked less toxic and more mesmerizing.

In the center of the lake was a swan with purple feathers that drifted around in its lake. It locked eyes with Lucina yet made demonstrated no aggression. Lucina took a minute to sit down on her knees and rest while she focused on the serenity of the swan.

Her tranquility was interrupted by the blue goo being from before appearing in the corner of her eye as it wriggled its way past her. She felt the goo brush past her skin and send shivers down her spine as she watched in terror while it made a beeline for the swan.

To her continuing horror, she was unable to stop the ball of goo while it pushed the water away just by moving through it. Lucina dared not step foot in whatever that water contained, meaning she was powerless to prevent the goo from doing… whatever it was doing.

The goo's intent was made clear when it expanded a thin tendril out from its body, wrapped the appendage around the swan's neck, and then dragged the screaming bird into its body where it was fully consumed by the goo. Its body hardened and Lucina could not see what was inside of it while the goo just sat in the middle of the water.

Before her very eyes, Lucina saw the goo double in size until it was around her height. Its coloration shifted back to a translucent blue, and then it began to wiggle away in the other direction. Lucina looked up to see the toppled tree looming over her, now very close and probably what this creature was heading towards.

She got to her feet with the image of that swan being devoured still burning in her memory and chased after the goo, hoping to find some answers to Severa's whereabouts from it. As she ran into the thick covering of trees, she tried to find any trace of the goo but was greeted with nothing.

The sound of a sword cutting through wood was heard behind her. She turned around to see a man with long, white hair and a beard hacking away at a tree with his curved sword. He wore a black coat with rusted armor underneath, and both of his eyes appeared to be closed. With one slice of his sword, he cut the tree down using only one hand on his blade and watched as the tree fell to the ground.

His eyes locked with Lucina's as he bent down to pick up the fallen tree, then continued picking up the tree as though she wasn't there.

"Hey! Hold on just a minute!" Lucina called out as she ran towards him.

"What do you want?" He replied in a gruff voice as he continued to drag the log.

"Just what the hell is going on here?" Lucina asked as she looked around. She then matched his pace as she followed him.

"These woods were poisoned. The animals changed into aggressive beasts resembling folk tales. The Mila Tree chopped down and harvested for sap by the monster who killed my sister."

"You… You had a sister?" Lucina noticed that his armor looked similar to Say'ri's.

"Ay. I swore to protect her and this tree. Both died for my foolishness."

"Was her name Say'ri?" Lucina asked while the man stopped dead in his tracks.

"...How do you know her name?" His tone sank and he drew his sword, brandishing it with one arm while the other was tucked into the sleeve of his coat.

"My father knew her from the war with Valm! His name was Chrom!" Lucina held her arms up as she tried not to stare at the sharp edge of his blade.

His demeanor seemed to shift at the mention of Chrom as he sheathed his blade.

"Yes, that was her name. She wore it with pride... Now stop dawdling and follow me. Unless you want to end up a meal for some beast." He picked up the log and continued along. Lucina followed, glancing behind at the toppled Mila Tree and wondering if Severa was in there.


	51. S Act II: A Funeral of Flowers Part XV

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section B

A Funeral of Flowers

Part XV

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Cave of the Past_ from _Earthbound_ when you see one * mark, and _Lost Impact_ from _Shadow the Hedgehog_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

The moon now hung in the sky as the mysterious man led Lucina to his camp. It was a small cave jutting out of a rock face with a blanket of leaves draped over the entrance. The man brushed the covering aside and motioned for Lucina to head inside. She walked into the dark cave and saw that it was rather small. Foliage crunched underneath her steps as she seated herself on a nearby log.

Her back began to rest as she watched the bearded man step inside and kneel before a fire pit. The fallen tree he dragged was now at his side as he pulled out a small knife from his pocket. Without any hesitation or grace, he plunged the knife into the log as though he was killing a rabid animal. He noticed Lucina's wide eyes and tense posture once he was done stabbing the log.

"If these trees could speak, they would thank me." He threw several pieces of wood to the fire pit and reached into his pocket. A piece of charcoal was in his hand, and he used both it and his knife to spark a flame from the wood.

The cave was now bathed in an orange light while the man leaned back and sat on his knees in a praying position.

"I don't think I caught your na-" Lucina asked.

"Quiet." He blurted out in a louder voice than before. Lucina sat there with a small sense of shame. His motions were still as a corpse while he seemed to be meditating. "I was praying for my sister's voyage through the afterlife."

"You mean the Specter Express?" She asked again.

"Excuse me?" His eyebrow raised.

"The train that all of the Shepherds are on. Including Say'ri."

"You speak nonsense. I know not what this 'train' is, but I know that my sister is gone."

"She's a ghost trapped inside a long series of metal boxes with wheels." The man expected Lucina to burst out laughing while she spoke in a dead-serious voice. Instead, she remained stoic. "Listen Yen'fay, I don't know how long you've been out here, but you have to trust me." She folded her arms.

"How did you know that name?"

"Say'ri only has one brother, and every day on the train she was beside herself with worry for you."

Yen'fay took a long pause as he stood up and paced back and forth in the cave. "Doesn't it trouble you that she's out there? Begging to know where you are?"

"I know!" He screamed back in response, shattering his composure and causing the flames to ripple. "I have spent countless years aware of the pain I put her through. I do not need some young princess to lecture me on that."

"Sorry…" Lucina took an apprehensive pause and noticed that Yen'fay tossed her a blanket and a hay bale.

"Tomorrow, you shall take me to this train and we shall see if there is any truth to your claims." Yen'fay seated himself and closed his eyes while he sat in a meditating pose.

" _If we can find our way to the Specter Express, that is…_ " Lucina laid down on the mulch of the ground and pulled the blanket over her while she rested, trying her best to not worry about Severa.

* * *

A thud awoke Lucina as morning light seeped into the cave. Yen'fay was nowhere to be found, yet that thud noise continued to be heard. With a groggy start, Lucina threw the blanket aside and combed the hay out of her hair before exiting the cave.

Yen'fay was outside the cave and practicing his sword on a wooden dummy. She noted that his black coat was gone, along with his beard, and his armor was pristine enough to reflect the morning sunlight in her eyes. He gripped his blade with two hands as he drove the curved steel through the dummy, then turned to glance at Lucina.

"Ah, you're up." His tone sounded less gruff than last night. "Would you like to try a sparring match? I've always wanted to see the fighting style of the Exalt."

Her arms didn't feel limber, yet she didn't see any reason to turn down his request.

"...I suppose." Lucina drew her blade and held it at her side. Yen'fay drew his blade as well, yet his motions seemed a bit stiff at first. Almost like he was recalling how to fight from memory.

"Go on, make the first strike." He bent his knees and held his blade before him, raised and pointed at her while his hilt rested next to his head. Lucina approached and swung her sword down upon his blade; he parried the blow and waited for her next strike. The two circled each other; their motions were still but the air crackled with tension. Yen'fay now held his sword vertically, yet he was still able to parry Lucina's next blow.

She attempted a quick, weak stab at his chest, only for him to rotate his sword so that the edge faced his right and the side was now blocking her sword. He used his other hand to press against the blade with his palm, knocking Lucina back in stunned silence at his swordplay.

"You're good…" Lucina spoke, only to notice that his attention was not on her but to his left. She followed his eyes to see another Yen'fay, wearing both his black coat and an angry glare. Lucina noted that unlike the Yen'fay before him, he still had a beard and his sword was held with only one hand. "What the-"

The other Yen'fay charged the younger one, only adding to Lucina's confusion as she stepped back. Their swords locked, and the Yen'fay she sparred with began to smirk.

"Gods-damn you!" With only one hand, the older Yen'fay knocked the younger one off balance and plunged his sword into his chest. The chest of the younger Yen'fay wobbled like jelly and no blood stained the older one's blade as he withdrew it.

"What the hell is going on here!" Lucina yelled from the sidelines as the older Yen'fay turned to face her.

"You were duped!" He spoke between breaths and looked back on the ground. The younger Yen'fay's skin turned a blue coloration while his limbs were brought together. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into the blue mass of goo from yesterday and began to violently shake.

"I… what?" Lucina's sword was now drawn and pointed at the goo.

Yen'fay simply said nothing and bent his knees as the goo continued to shake. Suddenly, it changed shape again as it hurled itself towards Yen'fay. Its body was now feminine in nature and had long, dark hair.

His stomach lurched as saw the face of his deceased sister on its body while it wrapped its hands around him.

"Brother! I finally found you!" It spoke as it now perfectly resembled Say'ri. Yen'fay tried to throw the thing off of him as it held fast.

"Stop… mocking… me!" Yen'fay's breathing began to slow while Lucina rushed to his aid.

"Please brother, you must rest…" The imitation of Say'ri pressed a free hand to his forehead. Waves of light shone from her hand and into Yen'fay's eyes, which now began to close. Lucina tried to pry the Say'ri off of him, only for a gooey tendril to erupt from its back and shove her away. She landed on the ground with a thud and skidded backward until she slammed against a tree. Her head began to throb in pain from the blow, yet she still tried to get to her feet. Her blurry vision focused on Yen'fay, who was now encased in the blue goo and being carried away.

Lucina slowly chased after them, staggered from the blow to her head yet pressing onward. Yen'fay was completely covered in the goo as it slid along the ground, past the various trees. She looked up to see a fuzzy outline of the toppled Mila Tree dead ahead and looming over them. Her climbing heartbeat begged her to stop and catch her breath, but she continued the chase, barely keeping pace with the goo.

Eventually, she burst from a clearing and found herself standing before the toppled remains of the tree. Its once-mighty trunks were now scattered and suspended in the air. A sizable chunk of the side of the tree was missing, creating a makeshift entrance into the tree that the goo escaped into. Lucina chased the monster into the hole, much like her father or the Hero-King would have.

The further and further she descended into the twisting corridors of branches, dirt and bark, the less sunlight was at her back and bolstering her confidence. Eventually, she was in pitch-black darkness, clutching her sword for safety as she slowed to a walk. The goo was gone from her vision and she couldn't even hear it.

*Suddenly, light filled her vision and she looked around to see fluorescent mushrooms sprout from the bark walls. They illuminated the ground before her, which split into two paths. She paused before the split and searched for any traces of the goo monster.

"Miss… Over here!" A shrill voice called out to her. She looked up from the ground to see a young girl with blue hair standing in the left path. The girl looked like a younger Lucina.

The hairs on her arms stood up as Lucina ignored the girl's advice and went down the right path.

" _It can shapeshift… It's just messing with me…_ " She told herself as she continued along, following the light of the mushrooms. Her shoulders were tensed as she continued to glance over her back. The air felt tense like fog yet her vision wasn't blurred.

But again, she found herself in front of the split path. The young girl continued to stand in the left path and waving at Lucina.

"Miss! Come on! _It's_ going to find us if we don't hurry!" The girl called out again, yet Lucina ignored her pleas and walked down the right path again. Somehow the air grew even thicker and her lungs felt like they were stone. She trudged her way forward only to find herself again at the crossroads.

She fell to her knees as she struggled to breathe. Her hands rested on her neck and she furiously coughed, trying with all her might to get some air. Her eyes watered as she fell to the dirt floor, only to feel a hand grasp her finger. Two familiar hands lifted her up by her shoulders and held her in an embrace. Her lungs relaxed and filled with air as Lucina opened her eyes.

Her mother sat before her and held her in a hug. Lucina jerked back in shock and drew her sword at the thing masquerading as her mother.

"Lucy? What are you doing?" It asked as it stood up and stared at her with a scared look.

"You're not real!" The throbbing in her head was only accentuated now as Lucina screamed. "Stop mocking me!"

"That's not… Lucina, what are you saying?" It appeared confused. "We have to go!"

Lucina noticed that the young girl was by her mother's side and holding her hand. She beckoned to Lucina with her fingers, yet she refused to budge.

"Stop-... You're not…" Her lungs began to close again. Falchion fell from her trembling hands and onto the ground while the thing approached again.

A firm hand rested upon her shoulder and her breath was restored. She glanced up and saw her father standing in front of her.

"Lucina?" It asked. She stared at its face and tracked its motions as it perfectly imitated the mannerisms of her father.

"Stop it!" She screamed again. The imitation of her father retreated back and talked to the false Olivia.

"Is she okay?" The fake Chrom asked. Lucina's heart was beating out of her chest and she began to furiously grunt in frustration.

"I think she's spooked…" The fake Olivia replied. Lucina picked her sword off the ground and noticed that the imitation of her father had its own Falchion. Every word these imitations said only angered Lucina further. All she could focus on was the ghosts of her real parents, looking upon these shams in disgust.

"Stop mocking my family!" Lucina raised her sword and charged the two, ramming her blade into the fake Olivia. In a flurry of rage, she downed the imitation of her mother and then sliced the fake Chrom's throat.

She panted for breath as she sheathed her sword, watching as blue goo seeped out of the fake Chrom. It shrank and twisted into a blob of blue goo, which dissolved into the floor.

A gurgling sound was heard and Lucina turned around, only to see a horrific sight. What she assumed was the fake Olivia was lying on the ground and bathed in her own blood. More crimson fluid spilled out of the open wound on her chest while Lucina rushed to her aid. "B-but I…" She panicked as she tried to cover the wound. "You… I thought you were…" If this Olivia didn't bleed blue goo, then was she…

"Lucina…" Her mother gurgled as her strained eyes focused on her. "W...Why?" She pressed her cold hand to her daughter's face.

Lucina's jaw was agape and trembling as her mother's hand fell away. She lifted her own hands away from the wound and stared at the blood staining them. Her mother's blood. Her actual mother's blood.

With an ever-climbing heartbeat, Lucina quickly got to her feet and ran further and further into the twisting hallways of the Mila Tree. She didn't even care which direction she ran. Whichever one took her away from what she had done.

* * *

Bits and pieces of dried leaves and twigs crunched underneath Cordelia's boots. She looked up to the crimson sky above, hanging past the branches of dead trees that seemed like they were holding the sky up. Her attention then changed to the toppled remains of the Mila Tree, which the trail of footsteps headed towards. Either her daughter or her niece was in there. The trail entered a hole in the fallen tree, which Cordelia entered without a second thought.

As she walked deeper through the interior of the tree, the light at her back gradually disappeared until it was pitch black. No longer could she see the trunk-covered walls of the hallway, or the path ahead of her. Now the only thing in her vision was her husband's face as he stood mere inches before her.

Before she could even ponder how he had followed her, red markings grew on Robin's face as he retreated into the darkness. He had turned again, meaning he needed to be pacified. The floor began to quake and tremble. Cordelia tensed her shoulders and the red lights in front of her began to move.

Robin emerged from the darkness on all fours and charging Cordelia. He leaped towards her and outstretched his claws before she slammed her right fist into his face, knocking him to the floor. He struggled and flopped on the ground like a flipped turtle, which Cordelia exploited and pinned him to the floor. She grabbed her necklace, the Darksphere, and pressed it to his cheek.

Nothing happened. No blinding light, or removal of the markings on his face. Exploiting her confusion, Robin raised his left hand and somehow shifted it into a large blob of goo. He slammed his new hand into Cordelia, pinning her to the wall.

She struggled against the blue substance from Robin's hand and watched as Robin himself transformed into a large blob of the same goo. This was not her husband. This _thing_ was something else entirely.

The goo's appendage continued to pin her against the wall as it shifted its mass through the limb and spread itself over Cordelia's body until she was encased in it. Vivid colors began to flash inside the being as she struggled to breathe, opening her mouth only to get assaulted with a sour taste.

With no prompting whatsoever, she began to remember a multitude of moments she had spent with Robin ever since her children and their friends were lost to Grima's influence. Almost as though her mind was being scanned, she began to repeat all the nights with Robin and continued to do so until the goo suddenly jumped off of her. She quickly regained her lost breath and used her spear to pick herself off the floor, only to see the goo just sit there. Motionless.

Cordelia approached, slowly and with her grip held tightly on her spear. She stood over the goo and aimed the tip of her weapon at it, waiting in anticipation for it to make a move.

The blob began to violently shake and tremble, startling Cordelia and causing her to plunge her spear in it. Or, she would've, if the goo hadn't split in two and made her impale the ground. The two piles of goo started to grow and jiggle until they were humanoid, a bit shorter than Cordelia, and looked like her daughters. Her heart skipped a beat as the two imitations of her daughters stood before her, and her grip on her spear loosened.

The replicas of Severa and Morgan ran away, down the dark hallways of the Mila Tree. Without even spending a second to ponder what had just occurred, Cordelia chased after them. She could just barely make out their backs as she continued to run after them.

**Cordelia emerged in a massive room illuminated by glowing mushrooms on the walls and floors. The breadth of the room was larger than the grand hall of the Ylissean Castle. So much so that she couldn't even see past the green fog enveloping the rest of the area. All she could see was the gargantuan sideways log that she stood on, more of the logs ahead that served as platforms and jutted out from the walls, and crystalline sap that bridged the logs with an amber glow.

She walked to the edge of the log she stood atop and looked down into the green abyss. All she could see aside from the darkness was a crisscrossing network of pipes, almost like the tree branches outside. Even though she would frequently soar through the skies atop her pegasus, she felt a twinge of vertigo as the depths seemed to grow deeper and deeper.

"Severa! Stop… Stop it!" Morgan's recognizable voice made Cordelia's ears perk up as she whipped her head in the general direction of her daughter's voice. She was greeted with the sight of Severa and Morgan fighting atop one of the crystalline bridges. Severa pushed Morgan to the edge, where she teetered over and threatened to fall off. Cordelia rushed over on instinct alone; her boots clanged against the bridge of sap as she neared her daughters.

Severa's back was facing Cordelia as she approached. Morgan was leaning off the edge back-first and flailing her arms wildly while she screaming amidst Severa's laughter. Cordelia lunged towards Morgan, shoving Severa to the side while she grabbed her daughter's hand.

Morgan continued to scream in terror as Cordelia pulled her onto the platform and into her embrace. Her voice lowered to a quiet cry as she rested her head on her mother's chest. Cordelia held her tightly then noticed Severa lying face-first on the floor. She lowered her other hand onto Severa's back, only for it to be swatted away. Severa looked up with a furious, bruised face.

"You care more about her than me!" She screamed, got to her feet, and then lunged at the two. If Cordelia side-stepped, she knew Severa would fall off to the abyss below. Instead, she opened her embrace like a snare and closed her arms around the charging Severa. She stumbled as her daughter collided with her, but not enough to throw her off into the ravine. Now both of her daughters were in her embrace, although Severa was struggling against her mother's grip. Her struggle continued while Cordelia pressed her head to her own; Severa started to slow down.

Eventually, Severa stopped fighting and simply collapsed in Cordelia's arms. Cordelia then walked along the bridge, holding her children tightly until they stood atop another log.

Both Morgan and Severa's walking slowed to a crawl as they continued along the log. Morgan drooped her head and looked miserable while Severa eventually apologized to her sister. Cordelia stopped the group as she held her hands on their shoulders and sat down. Severa and Morgan collapsed at her side; Morgan rested her head on her mother's shoulder and shut her eyes while Severa scooted a few feet away and just seemed distant. Cordelia moved Morgan's head off her shoulder and scooted over to Severa's side, where she removed her cloak and wrapped it around her daughter.

Severa turned her head with tear stricken eyes. "I just… always felt like you cared more about Morgan than me."

Cordelia shook her head while Severa rested against her. She wrote a note and handed it to her. She inspected the note and only began to sob more as she discarded it.

The note fluttered off the log and into the abyss below while Cordelia laid on her back. Her daughters curled up next to her like cubs to their mother. The note continued to drift down. Some amount of time passed before the note finally reached the bottom floor of the ravine, atop some stones.

A figure draped in red robes picked up it and inspected it. It read "I'm sorry. I love you." It tucked the note into a pocket and continued along, searching for something.

* * *

Cordelia opened her eyes as she laid atop her back. Although sore from the texture of the log, she still felt rejuvenated. Her daughters laid atop her and snored just like they were children. She remembered the many mornings where she, Robin, and her children would lay in bed without a single care in the world.

She had Robin back now, but her daughters were still lost.

But not these… imitations of her children. She reminded herself that these were beings not made of flesh and blood, but of some odd substance. They were meant to distract her from her goal.

Cordelia slowly removed the imitations of Severa and Morgan from her body and got to her feet. She pulled her cloak away from the slumbering Severa and fitted it over her body. She tiptoed away, down the next bridge of sap and the next log, and the bridge after that. Five minutes of walking had gone by before Severa's voice cut in through the silence.

"Mom?" She called out. Cordelia stopped dead in her tracks and fought every instinct that told her to turn around and run to her children. "Mom, where are you?"

"Mommy!" Morgan's voice rang out as well. Cordelia pulled her hood over her head. The voices of her daughters were as authentic as the tears that streamed down her cheek as she ran away. "Please don't leave us, mommy!"

Her watery eyes focused on an opening in the wall one of the logs jutted out from. Cordelia hurried inside amidst the wailings of her daughters, begging for her to stay.

Cordelia emerged in a hallway, not unlike the one that led her to that massive room. She continued to run farther and farther away until she collapsed against a nearby wall in a sobbing mess.

As she sat down and brought her head to her knees, she wallowed in her own sadness for a while until footsteps sounded. They grew closer and closer until they were right on top of her, and Cordelia looked up to see a frantic Lucina approaching.

Lucina wasn't even looking at where she was running while she ran, only to look right as she collided with Cordelia. She screamed in terror as she tried to make out what was holding her in an embrace. Cordelia pulled her hood down and revealed her face to Lucina, who was also crying.

"Are you okay?" Cordelia scribbled a note out. The corner was stained from her tears. Lucina read the note and stained it even further.

"No." She replied with a shaky voice. Cordelia wasn't sure if she could say the same either.


	52. S Act II: A Funeral of Flowers Part XVI

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section B

A Funeral of Flowers

Part XVI

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Spiral_ from _Final Fantasy XIV_ when you see one * mark, and _Hope of Birth_ from _Kirby Star Allies_ when you see two ** marks.

* * *

Amidst the bottom floor of the Mila Tree stood a woman draped in a red cloak. Her face was obscured while she strode towards the back end of the area. She walked past various debris from when the tree was toppled. Massive chunks of bark were strewn about and some even jutted out from the floor. No foliage grew on the floor here, as there was neither sunlight or enough clean soil to sustain it. These lands had been poisoned, although it was not by her own hands. She had just woken up one day inside the tree, only remembering her past life.

Her destination was visible now as she approached a small chair made of tree branches and moss that rose from the ground. The chair sat against a wall and was atop a raised platform. On the chair sat a girl with green hair, pointy ears, and glassy eyes that struggled to remain open as she focused on the cloaked figure approaching.

The features of the woman in the cloak shifted until she resembled an older man, keeping the cloak on to complement his familiar form.

"Ban-Ban…" The slumbering girl mumbled, resting her head on the man's shoulder while she spoke.

"Child, hold out your hand." The older man spoke. She did as she was told with a lackadaisical energy as the man clasped his fingers around her hand. A surge of energy rushed to the man's fingertips from Tiki's hand, returning his vigor. Tiki winced a little. Memories rushed to his thoughts as well, the same memories that Tiki had shown him when he found her outside the shrine to Naga.

Still, he would need them if he was to deter the intruders. He already had their memories, but it was not enough to stay them.

Tiki pulled her hand away and curled up on the chair as she drifted back to slumber. The red-cloaked man stepped back and whistled with his fingers. Two members of the Chon'sin appeared from behind the chair, one of which was made of him and the other had been pulled from the outside.

"Brother, we must protect the Divine Dragon." The part of the man spoke as it drew her sword.

"Yes, Say'ri," Yen'fay replied back with a glassy-eyed stare. The red-cloaked man walked away, shifting his features once he was out of view. She paused, taking a moment to catch her breath before transforming back into a puddle of goo and climbing up the nearby wall.

That red-haired woman and her niece knew Grima. Why? Do they mean to harm him?

* * *

Lucina's plight was made apparent to Cordelia as they continued down the hall.

"That wasn't your mother." Cordelia had scribbled a message out and handed it to her.

"How do you know that?" Lucina asked with a shaky voice. Cordelia stopped, took a long sigh, and wondered if Lucina was ready to know the truth.

"Come to the Ylissean Castle and you shall see." Another note was written. Lucina furrowed her brow.

"That's not an answer. Is my mother alive?" Lucina questioned again. Cordelia's hands clenched and her posture stiffened.

"We need to keep moving."

"Gods-dammit, Aunt Delia! Just give me a straight answer!" Her tone rose and so did her frustration.

Cordelia grabbed Lucina by the shoulder and led her along the hallway, never stopping to give that answer. Lucina struggled against her iron grip but to no avail.

They arrived in a peculiar room; the walls were now stone and a thick fog rolled around. Lucina glanced to her left and saw shields bearing the insignia of the Exalt on the walls, just like the Ylissean Castle.

In fact, this _was_ the Ylissean Castle. The hallway outside the guest room. She recognized it from the myriad of times she chased Inigo through it. "What the hell…?"

Cordelia glanced over and saw her husband standing at the door to the guest room, and herself standing just a few feet back.

Lucina only saw Grima looming over a door with the Cloaked Woman behind. He knocked on the door.

"Hello? Olivia? Are you in there?" Grima asked. Lucina's heart almost skipped a beat as she looked to the Cloaked Woman standing behind Grima, then to Cordelia who was behind her. They looked identical, save for Cordelia wincing. And Cordelia had been gone for only a few weeks, meaning this was...

"Go away." Her mother's voice rang out in a quiet whimper from behind the door. Lucina hurried to the door and began pounding her fists on it the instant she heard her mother speak. Grima acted as though she wasn't there, and the slamming of her fists was silent.

"Do you… need anything?" Grima motioned a beckoning gesture with his hand, and a risen carrying a platter of salad approached. "I brought food. Do you want me to bring it in?"

"...Slide it through the door." A slight tone of aggression was in her voice. Grima sighed as the door slipped open by a crack, allowing him to slide the platter in. Lucina desperately tried to pry her fingers into the crack and force the door open, only for Cordelia to yank her back before the door could slam on her fingers.

"Let go of me!" Lucina screamed. She grabbed onto Grima's shoulders and tried to hang on to his cloak, only for Cordelia to pry her back. With her hand outstretched towards her mother's prison, Lucina was dragged out of the room from the Ylissean Castle and back to the interior of the Mila Tree.

Cordelia stopped and released Lucina, only for her niece to slam her fist into Cordelia's jaw. Her head slightly recoiled from the blow, but she still remained on her feet. "You knew! You knew she was alive all along and you didn't tell me! How long did you know?"

"I didn't want to hurt you." Cordelia scribbled a message out and handed it to Lucina. She crumpled it up and hurled it at Cordelia's head in response.

"How many secrets have you kept, hoping you don't hurt someone? Morgan told me you killed innocents just to feed your family. You faked your own gods-damned death and didn't have the compassion to tell your daughters." Her tone was unnervingly calm. "YOU ABANDONED US TO A WORLD BROKEN AND BATTERED BY FORCES WE HAD NO CONTROL OVER, AND ALL YOU GIVE US ARE SECRETS?" Lucina screamed in her face, sending spittle onto Cordelia's visor. She drew back, shoulders tensed and sword drawn. Cordelia's ears were ringing and her face was scrunched into a frown while Lucina pointed her blade at her. "I. Hate. You."

*She backed away, sword still aimed at her aunt. Cordelia approached. Her lance was not drawn. Lucina bent her knees and continued to back away, into the large room that Cordelia recognized from before.

Behind Lucina was a raised platform. The blob of goo had returned as it sat on the platform and began to shake. Cordelia juggled her focus between it and Lucina while the goo began to take a humanlike shape, then was enveloped in a magical barrier of petals. Cordelia recognized this from whenever she would've witnessed Nowi in combat.

The flower would appear right before a Manakete was about to transform. A roar sounded as the flower unfurled, revealing a golden dragon that reared up like a bear on its hind legs. It unleashed a mighty roar, rocking the foundation of the room and the log Lucina and Cordelia stood upon.

Visibly shaken, Lucina turned around only to see the dragon lock eyes with her and rest on its fours. She remembered a diagram she had read once, detailing how Divine Dragons looked vastly different from the current, leafy manaketes like Nah.

But, she would have to ponder who this dragon was at a later time. The dragon opened its maw and expelled a misty breath at her. She darted back, stumbling and falling on her rear as the cloud approached. Lucina couldn't even see through it until it was dispelled, and in its wake was the ground it covered. Said ground had, and still was, melting; the edge of the log had fallen off like snow in the summer.

The dragon began flapping its mighty wings, rising into the air and flying towards Lucina while she continued to sit in terrified awe. A hand grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her off of the ground. She barely had time to register that Cordelia was holding her as she looked up and saw her aunt's face above hers. Before she could protest, she noticed that they were now on a bridge made of hardened, amber sap that connected the massive logs. The log they were on, however, now housed the dragon as it lumbered towards them.

Lucina looked ahead to see that there were more logs and bridges in a forward formation, each log lower in elevation than the last. Cordelia stopped dead in her tracks, allowing Lucina to stand on her own feet. Lucina did not keep running out of respect for her aunt, but out of fear for the dragon that was gaining on them.

Something sounded behind them. It was not the booming footsteps of the dragon, but an object somewhat like glass shattering. Ahead of them, as they neared the next log, a crack darted underneath their feet and towards the end of the bridge. The amber platform snapped in two. Lucina felt her footing slip as she looked behind to see the bridge's connection to the log behind them had been shattered from the breath of the dragon.

With a hand outstretched towards the log right ahead of them, Lucina and Cordelia lost their footing and began to slide down the bridge as it angled downwards. Cordelia jammed her spear into the bridge and gripped it with both of her hands, holding onto it for dear life as it stuck out from the makeshift wall. The edge of the bridge was just above them, but not close enough for Lucina to reach if she used Cordelia as a stepping stone. Lucina held onto Cordelia's leg as well, and the two of them dangled above the abyss below them.

With a scream, Lucina used all of her strength to continue holding onto Cordelia's legs, and she felt as though she was going to pass out at a moment's notice. Cordelia watched in frustration as the body of her spear began to wobble like a flimsy pillar in a shoddy house.

Lucina looked up just in time to see Cordelia's spear snap in two, with the head remaining in the bridge and the body in Cordelia's grasp as they fell into the abyss. Another scream escaped her lips as wind lashed at the back of her head. The dragon watched as they fell from its perch atop the log; Cordelia swore she saw it wince in pain but considered it naught but a trick of her imagination.

As they tumbled through the air, deeper and deeper into the abyss, Cordelia wrapped her arms around Lucina and closed her eyes. Lucina closed her eyes as well, but from exhaustion rather than bracing for impact.

* * *

A smell of something rotten infiltrated Lucina's nostrils as she stirred from her slumber. With a groggy gaze, she looked around and saw a deep green fog that surrounded her. She seemed to be on solid ground at the very bottom of the tree, in a large, open space. Another thing surrounded her in an embrace, but it was Cordelia's arms. Her arms that felt cold as the ground below her, which Lucina realized was also Cordelia. She rested atop her motionless aunt and quickly got to her feet in a panic.

"Aunt Delia!" She began shaking Cordelia but to no avail. Her fingers ran over her aunt's body and felt an irregular bump in her left shoulder, a massive bruise on her back, and a slow heartbeat. Cordelia was still alive but horribly injured. She must have taken the brunt of the fall for Lucina's sake.

Lucina frantically reached into her pocket for a vulnerary or any healing item to help her aunt, only to find nothing. She fell to her knees and began to sob, holding onto her aunt's hand all the while. Her aunt was dying, and there was nothing she could do. The last memory Cordelia would have was her horrible niece hating her.

A branch snapped nearby. Lucina jerked her head up and saw two figures approaching. Yen'fay was one of them, and the other was his sister. They strode towards her with their swords drawn; she tried to get to her feet only to collapse on the floor. Her hands and knees were trembling as she looked up and saw Yen'fay standing over her.

"She means to harm the Divine Dragon, brother." Say'ri muttered. Lucina tried to prop herself up with her sword but to no avail. Her mind was already racing, trying to focus on both this new information and her approaching death.

"You… You meant to deceive me… My sister is alive, and right here. Not on some 'train' as you said." Yen'fay aimed his sword at Lucina's neck, drawing it back with a cold look on his face.

"You're… You're the only one being deceived here, you… you…" Lucina looked up and glared with the nastiest look she could muster. Yen'fay was unfazed.

As Yen'fay brought his sword down upon her neck, Lucina unleashed a mighty roar that was loud enough to shake his eardrums. She raised her sword with newfound strength and blocked his blade. Her grip on Falchion was so tight that she felt like the blade might pop off of its hilt like a cork from a wine bottle.

A blinding light erupted from Falchion as it locked with Yen'fay's sword. Both Yen'fay and Say'ri were staggered from the light and unable to see. Lucina exploited this as she rolled away from Yen'fay and got to her feet. Light filled the area and continued to emanate from her sword, which she drove through the chest of Say'ri.

By the time Yen'fay could properly see, he saw that Lucina was gone and now standing behind Say'ri, driving her glowing blade through his sister's chest.

He almost screamed in shock, only to see Say'ri dissolve into a puddle of blue goo at Lucina's feet. Yen'fay looked up from the goo, to Lucina's enraged face, then back to the goo. She was already pondering her next move, basing it off what she believed both Chrom and the Hero King would do.

"I don't… What?" He asked. His eyes were noticeably less glassy than before.

"Tell me why that _thing_ mentioned the Divine Dragon." Lucina's tone was very abrasive and her brow was furrowed. Imitating her father's voice and how she believed he would respond.

"Don't take that tone with m-"

In the blink of an eye, Lucina was now standing before Yen'fay and holding her sword to his neck before he could even reach for his blade. A technique she had studied from the Hero King.

"I'll take whatever tone I want, gods-dammit. You and your stupidity are the reason my aunt is dying." Lucina pointed to Cordelia, still unconscious and likely not getting better. "And before you even-"

She stopped. This wasn't her. Instead of asking what her father or the Hero King would do, a simple question flashed in her mind. " _What would Lucina do_?"

She paused and took a quick breath before speaking with Yen'fay again as she sheathed her blade. "Is the Divine Dragon here?"

"Y-yes." Yen'fay noticed the trail of blue goo lead in the direction he had come from. "Follow that trail the monster left and you shall find her."

"...Thank you for your help. Watch over here until I get back." Lucina turned around and followed the trail of goo.

So Tiki was alive. Somehow, she had found her way here and into the clutches of a shapeshifting monster that almost killed Cordelia and broke Lucina. As she walked deeper into the bowels of the tree, Lucina swore she saw thousands of red eyes staring at her from the darkness ahead. Without even thinking, she raised her sword and held it high as light erupted out from the blade, dispelling the darkness and replacing it with the back wall of the tree.

At the very back of the large room was Tiki, sitting in a chair on a raised platform and slumbering. Lucina neared the slumbering dragon, only to see a small droplet of goo land before her. She looked up and on the ceiling of the cavern was a massive, vibrating blob of the same goo. It detached from the roof and landed on the ground with a mighty thud. Lucina darted back and drew her blade as the pile began to shrink, yet it still continued to shake. It had gone from triple Lucina's height to now equaling her height. The monster shifted again, taking on a humanoid form.

Lucina felt like she was staring at a mirror as she watched a replica of herself emerge from the pile of goo and glare at her. Its features and limbs weren't like the other creatures spawned from the goo; it was entirely blue and it looked like their face was melting.

"You… You killed my mother…" The gooey Lucina spoke with a rasp. Its sword was drawn and pointed upright in a casual stance, the exact same one that her father had taught her.

Lucina simply said nothing as she drew her blade in return. Not in the stance her father had, but one where her blade was pointed directly at her foe and the hilt rested next to her head. "No answer? You wreak havoc upon my family, and you say nothing?" Its tone was growing more and more agitated as the moments passed.

Lucina waited, and waited. She knew what she used to be better than anyone else, and thought back to her sparring match with Yen'fay. "Say something, gods-damn you!"

She almost bit her tongue as she remained silent, watching the imitation of her wait as well. But, in the blink of an eye, the other Lucina charged with her sword dragging along the ground and kicking up dirt.

Lucina closed her eyes and waited with bated breath. She could hear the footsteps of the other Lucina grow closer and closer until she was surely just in front of her. Her panic from before was replaced with stillness, and she quickly aimed her sword horizontally to block the clone's strike.

"I judge you unworthy." She muttered, then followed through with a slash at the clone's jugular. Goo erupted from the other Lucina as she staggered back and unleashed a howl. She toppled to her knees and bowed her head before Lucina.

"Do it! Finish me!" Her voice warbled and her features were shifting. Lucina paid her no mind and walked past. "Please! End me! Return me to my love!"

**Her mind hung on the word 'love' as she stopped. With a quick turn around to see what was happening, Lucina was pelted in the face with a blob of goo and knocked to the floor. She looked up to see the clone of herself had transformed into a woman with purple skin, violet hair that tied itself in a bun at the top, and pitch-black eyes strewn with tears. A red cloak was draped over her figure.

"You mean to hurt Grima, my one true love!" The woman grabbed a chunk of her own, gooey flesh from her thigh and hurled it at Lucina. She rolled out of way and saw that the woman's leg had grown back.

"What?" Lucina asked as she got to her feet. "How do you know Grima?"

"You shall not harm him! Do you hear me? I will not allow it!" Another blob of goo was hurled by the woman. Lucina batted it away with her sword and began walking towards her.

The woman raised her clenched fist. Gusts of wind began to howl at Lucina and blow her back. Her cloak shook in the gales as she continued her assault. Lucina struggled back to her footing and began to slowly make her way towards the woman.

"Who are you?" Lucina yelled amidst the howling gales.

"Why should I tell you?" Lucina couldn't even see this woman as she held her sword in front of her head and felt projectiles collide with it. Her approach continued. "Grima and I were to be wed! And then you _stole_ him from me!" Her voice was now a screech.

The winds grew stronger and stronger until Lucina felt like she was going to be swept up by a tidal wave. But she continued to stand, pressing further and further against the gales and projectiles. "Stop it! Get away from me!" The voice was even closer now. Maybe even right in front of her. Lucina pulled her sword away for a brief moment to see that the woman had raised her clenched fist and was attempting to smash it down on Lucina.

She blocked her hand with her sword, only to feel the woman slam her hands against the blade again, and again, and again. Lucina bent her knees from the repeated blows and used her free hand to support her blade.

The woman gripped Falchion with both of her hands, holding onto the blade and trying to pry it from Lucina's grasp. Goo spilled from the open cuts in her hands caused by the sword. "I... I..." Tears streaked her face and spilled onto the blade. she tried to find the words to blame this girl for her misfortune, but none came to mind.

All that escaped her lips was the primal scream of a broken woman. The same scream Lucina was all too familiar with.

Lucina bashed her blade against the woman, knocking her off balance and onto her rear. Her blade flashed with a blinding light, stunning her as she laid on the floor. The winds died down and the gooey woman slumped on the ground as she continued to sob. She looked up and saw Lucina looming over her, sword drawn and expressions motionless.

A whimper escaped her lips as she bowed her head, grimacing in anticipation of what was to come. "I'm… I'm sorry. I just…"

"What is your name?" Lucina's sword was still raised high.

"M-Marla."

"Why did you kidnap Tiki? Or Yen'fay? Why did you almost kill my aunt and me?"

"I... I don't..." She tried to speak amidst her sobbings. Lucina slowly brought the tip of her blade against Marla's head.

Marla could barely find any justification for the wounds that she had caused. For the lives that she had ruined. The only thing she could think of was how she was never going to see her beloved again.

A few seconds passed. Lucina had cast her judgment. Silence filled the room as Marla waited, and waited, and continued to wait until she looked up.

Lucina held her hand out. Marla slowly reached for it and Lucina helped her to her feet. She felt as though she had just performed a handshake with a blob of jelly, and it didn't help that the sobbing Marla was leaning on her for support. "T-thank you…"

Lucina's skin crawled but didn't mind as she walked towards Tiki. She stopped and helped Marla up the steps. "Do you… Want me to rouse her?"

"As yourself. No more lies." Lucina stepped back and watched from afar. Marla hesitantly stepped up to the slumbering woman and waved her hand over her forehead. Tiki stirred from her slumber and gave Marla a puzzled look.

"Bantu? Is that…" Tiki noticed that the person wearing her caretaker's red cloak was a woman.

"Bantu isn't… He's... He's not here." Marla replied. Tiki got to her feet and looked quite angry.

"I know he's here. Where is he! What did you do with him?" Lucina watched from afar, unsure if Tiki had noticed her by now. Marla shifted her features to look like Bantu. Tiki stopped and just watched with a dumbfounded expression as she shifted back to her normal form. "You… You lied to me?"

"I'm s-sorry. I just wanted to make you c-comfortable, b-but it was wrong of me to lie to you." Marla neglected to mention that Tiki's rejuvenating powers had been the only thing sustaining her for a while now.

"Get away from me." Tiki got back to her feet and glared at Marla.

"I understand..." She sighed and stepped away, revealing Lucina. Tiki's features brightened up the moment she saw Lucina.

"Lucina!" She called out with a cheery smile. Tiki rushed over to her and wrapped her arms around her. "Fancy finding you here in an unfamiliar place such as this. Speaking of which… Where are we?"

"Inside the Mila Tree," Lucina replied. Her tone was noticeably lighter than before, yet still had a sense of urgency. Tiki's eyes widened and she slowly turned to face Marla, who was cowering in the corner.

"Did she… do this…?" Her fists were clenched while she glared at Marla. A hand grabbed her by the arm and stopped her.

"No, she did not. Grima did this. Just please let her be." Lucina held onto Tiki's arm and could feel the seething anger radiate from her body.

"That _thing_ kidnapped me." Tiki gritted her teeth and tried to break free of Lucina grasp. "And kept me here in this twisted depiction of my home!"

"I know, okay! And she tried to kill me! Yen'fay tried to kill me! I even thought you tried to kill me! But if I can forgive all of you, why can't you forgive her?" Lucina yelled amidst Marla's sobs. Tiki seethed with anger but rested her shoulders with a sigh.

"...Fine." Tiki walked away from Marla and towards the entrance. "Do you know the way out of here?"

Lucina paused, unsure of how to word her request. "Cordelia is dying and needs your help." Her tone was rather plain for how serious her statement was.

"Cordelia is… Oh gods, is she in here too? Where is she?" Tiki looked around in a panic. Lucina took her by the hand and led her out of the large room and past the various debris. She was dumbfounded at all the damage that had been done to the floor of the Mila Tree while Lucina continued on. They stopped before a small area where Yen'fay stood. Cordelia was propped up against a rock and conscious.

She waved her trembling hand at Lucina, looked surprised to see Tiki, and then looked to be in pain just from moving her hand. Tiki picked up her pace and rushed to Cordelia's aid, kneeling down next to her. "What happened to her?"

"We fell from a high place and landed here. She broke my fall." Lucina seated herself at the other side of Cordelia, who turned her head to face Lucina.

"That sounds awful…" Tiki's hands began to glow as she placed them on Cordelia's stomach. The bump in her shoulder moved down. Cordelia winced in pain as Tiki continued to hold her hands on her.

A few more moments passed. Yen'fay watched from afar as Tiki pulled her hands away and Cordelia got to her feet. Her legs were trembling but Lucina considered it a miracle that she could stand at all. Cordelia focused on a figure up ahead, wearing a red cloak and approaching. Lucina followed her eyes and saw Marla.

"Easy, easy. She doesn't mean us any harm." Her hands were held up as she stood between Cordelia and Marla. Tiki turned to face Marla as well and noticed she was handing her something.

"Here." Marla smiled as she removed her cloak and handed it to Tiki. Although nervous, Tiki graciously accepted the gift. "If you want, I could show you all out of here."

"That would be nice. Thank you." Tiki smiled and fitted the cloak over her body. It reminded her of her younger days when Bantu would let her wear his cloak for warmth. However, she felt a bulge in the pocket. Reaching into the pocket, she found a folded-up paper note. "Is this yours?" She asked Marla.

"No. It drifted down here from above." Marla shook her head. Cordelia recognized the note as the paper she used to write messages and raised her hand. Tiki handed it to her and watched as she unfurled the note.

A smile crept along Cordelia's lips as she began to scribble on the note. This was the very same one she had written to the illusions of Severa and Morgan, but she had added a few words before handing it to Lucina.

"I'm sorry. I should've told you about your mother. I love you." Lucina read the note and remembered the words Marla had spoken mere minutes ago. She wrapped her arms around her aunt and hugged her.

"I'm sorry I said such horrible things to you."

* * *

Eventually, with Marla's guidance, the group found their way up the twisting bridges inside the Mila Tree and down the confusing hallways, until they stood outside. Marla had stayed inside the tree, waving goodbye to the group and apologizing for the fifth time during the walk. The walk was rather awkward, such as Lucina explaining to Tiki why Cordelia couldn't speak or why she had a mask. To be frank, Lucina didn't know the answers either. Cordelia never stopped her, so she assumed her guesses of 'hiding her identity' was somewhat accurate.

It seemed to be afternoon as they looked up to the red sun. Tiki was shocked to find the horrible state of the swamp outside the Mila Tree.

"I can call for transportation." Cordelia wrote out as the group puzzled what to do next.

"Will there be enough room for all of us?" Tiki asked. Cordelia pondered this and so did Lucina.

"Where's Severa?" Lucina broke the silence. Cordelia turned and wrote a note.

"She's at the Father's Pride." The note read.

"The what?" Lucina tilted her head.

"We'll head south from here and we'll get to it eventually." Another note read. Cordelia began scribbling another one about how they should wait for transportation, but by the time she looked up Lucina was already walking away. Tiki and Yen'fay didn't react; they weren't sure if this was normal or not.

Cordelia caught up to Lucina and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You three go without me. I want to meet her on foot." Lucina gave Cordelia a reassuring glance.

"Will you be okay? Will you have food? It's very dangerous..." Cordelia's new note read. She looked deeply concerned.

"I'll be fine." Lucina turned around and walked away, deeper and deeper into the dead forest.

Something about her seemed different. Cordelia watched while a smile crept along her masked face.


	53. S Act II: A Funeral of Flowers Part XVII

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section B

A Funeral of Flowers

Part XVII

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Planet Wisp - Act 1_ from _Sonic Colors_ when you see one * mark, _Sky Tower_ from _Kirby: Planet Robobot_ when you see two ** marks, and _Lunar Bass_ from _Spark the Electric Jester_ when you see three *** marks.

* * *

A clear sky rested above Grima while he sat. He sat atop a ledge that gave way to a steep drop from a cliff, and below was a vast stretch of land. Even from his high perch, he could see the complex varieties of plants and other foliage. What caught his eye the most was the large sculpture of Duma made of hedge bushes. It stood amongst a valley of large, horizontal rocks of different elevations. The entire area was made of these white rocks, including the top that Grima sat on.

"Good to see you, old friend." He mumbled in the direction of the sculpture with a smile, then looked behind. A large forest rested behind him, and the trees began to move. Severa emerged from a clearing and locked eyes with him, stopping dead in her tracks. "Hello there." Grima waved. Severa continued to glare at him. "You can sit down if you want." His hand patted the grass next to him.

With a cautious gait, Severa approached and slowly seated herself next to Grima. "Are you alright?"

"Nice of you to try and play Mr. Nice Guy after you beat the crap out of me." Her throat still felt sore from when Grima had choked her. A long pause ensued. Grima looked at the land ahead before speaking.

"I'm sorry. What I said was both false and uncouth." He noticed that she was staring at the inactive volcano in the distance.

"Do you know how many times we've done this? I'm… sick of it. You do something horrible to me or my family, and then you apologize." She stood up and began mimicking his voice in a cartoonish manner. "'Oh, gods Severa I'm so sorry that I beat you within an inch of your life and berated you. Also, I stole your mother and made you think she was dead. Also, I'm going to kill your best friend's brother. But oops! I hope you'll forgive me!'"

"I get it." His tone seemed harsher than before and he certainly looked angry.

"Shut up." Severa interrupted him. "Oh, sorry. What I said was both false and uncouth. I hope you'll forgive me until I do the same thing tomorrow."

Grima's facial features were trembling and so were his hands. He looked furious. Severa was leaning over him. "Go on. Hit me. Show me the monster underneath my father's skin."

"I made a promise I would never incite violence on these grounds." His tone seemed rather calm, as though he had been practicing how to remain cool under pressure like this. Severa drew back and paced back and forth. With a deep breath, she finally spoke something she had been mulling over for a while.

"I… I… I hate you. With every bone in my body." Grima turned around and just stared at her with a blank look. "I hate everything you do. I hate everything you are. I hate everything that you represent. I am going to save my friends from you. I am going to save my mother from you. I am going to save my _father_ from you."

A very awkward silence followed. Severa seated herself on the edge of the cliff, yet away from Grima. He still said nothing. "Where are we?"

"Father's Pride. It's a memorial to a friend of mine." He sounded rather okay for someone who had just been told their daughter hated their guts.

"Is that him over there?" Severa pointed to the sculpture of a large dragon in the distance.

"Yes. His remains are kept over there if you want to visit them." He then pointed to the large, inactive volcano in the distance. "Don't worry about the eruptions. My terraforming made sure it was safe to enter."

"Is Lucina in there?" Only now did Severa remember that Lucina was not with her when she woke up. "Where is she?"

"When you two were teleporting away, you somehow messed with the teleportation staff, and your blood reacted to it in different ways. She was teleported to the remains of Mother's Misery, and you wound up here."

"Why did my blood send me here? What the hell is Mother's Misery anyway?" Grima neglected to react to the first question; he would rather not speak about Marla.

"Have you heard of the Mila Tree? It's now a swamp."

"Is she alright?" Severa didn't like the sound of Lucina traipsing through a dangerous swamp by herself.

"I sent your mother to go find her and bring her to the Alchemical Foundry. I can take you there once Cordelia finds her if you want."

"Why not just take me now?"

"I figured you'd like to run around here or something. Lots of wide open space to roam free." Grima looked out at the vast expanse of land, mainly the large cliffs and slopes and the green grass over the ground.

Severa stared at the land as well. She had to admit it looked like a painting from a fantastical children's book, and a far cry from the dilapidated ruins of Rigel from before.

"Do you want me to call off the assassination on Inigo?" He asked with a calm voice.

"Yes! Do you even have to ask that? Why didn't you call it off sooner?" A gentle breeze rolled by. The exact opposite of what Severa was projecting.

"Cordelia told me you had a fight with him and hated him. I acted on your best interests."

"Are… Are you serious? You… put a bounty on my friend because I had a fight with him?" Her eyes were as wide as the sun above. Grima sighed and pressed a hand to his left ear.

"Excellus? Come in, Excellus." He spoke. Severa thought she heard muffled, screechy voice speak in Grima's ear. "Call off the mark on Inigo's head." A pause followed, along with him sighing. Severa tried to lean in close to hear what Excellus was saying. To her surprise, Grima just remained there as she seated herself next to him.

"Are you serious?" Excellus' voice was heard in Grima's ear.

"Yes. We have no reason to kill him. In fact, I want him alive." Grima replied.

"B-but sir I have him in custody right now! We could kill him right now and rid ourselves of an enemy to your reign!"

"He is not an enemy. He is a friend. I was wrong." Grima sounded as though he was disinterestedly speaking to his mother. "If I find that a single hair on his head is harmed, then I shall have no choice but to expel you from Ylisstol. Forcefully."

"...I understand. Will do, sir." Excellus replied and Grima removed his hand from his ear. He locked eyes with Severa and quickly stared somewhere else.

"You really think he'll stay true to his word?" She asked. Her leg dangled over the edge of the cliff. She looked down and immediately regretted looking at the steep drop. She almost forgot that mere moments ago she had told Grima she hated his guts.

"No." Grima got to his feet and put his hands in his coat pocket. "Which is why I'm going to rendezvous with your mother as soon as she has Lucina, and go back to Ylisstol with you three to make sure he doesn't kill your friend." He drew his hood up and walked away, leaving a confused Severa on the cliff.

"I can't pin you down. One minute you're beating me within an inch of my life and the next you're babysitting your commanders just to make me feel better." Severa got to her feet as well. "If you really want me to treat you like a father, why don't you just kidnap and hypnotize me as you did with my mom?"

"Who said I wasn't going to do that?" Grima asked as he glanced over his shoulder yet continued to walk. "I told you. I will not disturb these peaceful lands."

"So where are you going while we wait?" She outstretched her arms and yelled.

"I'm going to go check in on the volcano. You can join me if you wish." A dark portal appeared before him. Severa noticed he was holding a staff in his other hand.

"Aren't you going to take me there?" She asked.

"No," Grima replied. "You'll be fine. I thought you said you hated everything I am, anyway." Severa said nothing and folded her arms. Her face was as red as Grima's eyes. "Check your pocket, by the way." Grima was now half-inside the portal. Severa checked her pocket and felt what she assumed was a smooth, thin rock. "It's one of my scales."

The very instant Severa held the scale in her grasp, purple flakes not unlike the ones she used to strengthen herself poured from the surface. She felt a rush of power course through her veins. Grima noticed that her eyes were red, and more flakes erupted from the scale as she continued to squeeze it. It seemed it was an endless source of power for her. "Try not to damage the gardens." His voice hung on the wind as he and his portal disappeared.

*Severa turned around, examining the land around her. She stared at the ground again, and where she once felt a sense of dread, she felt a surge of boldness instead. With nary a second thought, she leaped through the air and sailed towards the ground head-first. She must have fallen at least fifty feet as the cliff face raced past her vision. With a quiet thud, she landed in a crouching position with her feet spread apart and her left hand on the ground. The grass around her reached up to her head as it swayed in the breeze.

She stood in place as she held one arm out perpendicular to her body and crossed her other arm over it, stretching her sore shoulders. Then, she bent her legs and made sure they felt limber enough to go at speeds the human body wasn't created to match.

A smirk formed on her face right as she drew back in a running position, then moments later rocketed forward towards the sculpture of the dragon in the distance. Winds lashed at her face, much like that night in Ylisstol she had spent with Lucina. Had it really only been a week since that day? She had felt so alive and free that night, and she felt rather similar right now. Birds chirped in the distance, and she could see various woodland creatures rush away from her.

She rushed past various gardens, arranged with all sorts of colorful flowers of varying sizes. The dragon was nearby now, and in the distance, she could still see the volcano looming over her. She approached a path made of cobblestone and slowed her speed to a light jog. Her hair was no longer whipping behind her like a flag, yet she still worried she would kick up stones behind her.

More flowers were ahead on a raised hill. Deep green leaves were arranged in the shape of a dragon. Roses grew in the head of the portrait to recreate what looked like a giant, red eye in its forehead. To the left of this dragon was more flowers, purple and arranged to resemble Grima.

She walked ahead to the sculpture of the green dragon. Its mighty wingspan shielded her from the sun; the green coloration of the hedges did not have to be altered to resemble the dragon. It stood on a raised, stone platform that had a plaque on the front.

"Duma. The War Father." The plaque read. Severa wondered if she had ever heard the name Duma before, but at least she knew the name of Grima's fallen friend.

To her left was a massive waterfall that crashed into a lake that looked to be double the size of the massive hedge sculpture. However, to her right was a dark purple building that both stuck out like a sore thumb from the nature around it, and stretched into the sky like the Grimaret.

" _What's that doing here?_ " She asked to herself, noticing that the land around it seemed to match its color as well. Her eyes then turned to the volcano, but that mysterious building was too alluring. " _Grima can wait. I wanna see what's going on in there_."

She jogged away from the sculpture, only picking up speed once she was off the cobblestone path. Ahead of her was another flower garden, except this one was being sprayed by water shot out from a small machine in front of it. Severa stopped and stared at the machine, noticing that it was a small rod held up by metal firmware fixed into the ground.

The rod began to turn on its axis until it suddenly faced Severa, who was unable to dodge the blast of water and was pelted in the face by hundreds of small droplets. Quickly, she raised her hands to her face to block the freezing water. Her entire body shivered as she sprinted away.

She continued running along, past more valleys and raised patches of land until she dug her heels in and stopped at a large lake. Unfortunately, an object in motion tends to stay in motion, and because Severa came to a screeching halt, her wet hair wrapped around her head and slapped her in the face.

With her vision obscured by her white hair, Severa grumbled as she pulled her hair out of her face. Right next to her was a large lake, and her reflection stared back. She turned to the side and continued to stare.

" _You look like trash_." A nasty, yet familiar voice whispered in her ear as she focused on her hair.

"No, I don't." She spoke back, remembering what Gaius had taught her. She ran her hands through her hair until she felt her hair bands around her fingers. Removing them from her wet hair, she placed them in her pockets along with the scale from Grima. A cursory glance back to the lake confirmed that she did look like her mother now that her hair was down rather than in pigtails. She wasn't completely okay with borrowing her mother's look, but it would have to do to prevent her hair from being a hindrance.

Her reflection matched her smile as she turned back towards the purple building and continued on her way. Eventually, she noticed the clang of metal underneath her boots as she continued. The ground underneath her was now purple and metallic like the large building that she was nearing, and to her left, it seemed like this site was still under construction. Large machines whirred and moved on their own, some of which had large saw blades. Some of the machines had prongs that were used to apply large sheets of the same, purple metal to the ground, and then nearby machines would melt them in place with bursts of fire.

These were not the only machines expanding the reach of this metal building, as to her right was the same exact set-up. Only the machines had just finished applying and melting a fresh sheet, only for them to move on their own to the next square that needed to be applied.

Severa wondered if there was a natural stopping point for this expansion, and she also wondered why her feet felt like they were burning. With her foot lifted up while she standing on the other, she discovered that while she may be willing to go at ridiculously fast speeds, her armor sure wasn't.

A hole had been burned into her metal boot and was continuing to burn. She quickly removed said boot while her foot ached from the burn, only to put it down on the ground and discover that the ground was also burning. Because of the dark coloration of the ground, it had absorbed more heat from the sun and felt like scorching desert sands on Severa's bare foot.

She groaned as she raised her foot and began to hop towards the building, which hopefully had some shade and some spare boots. As she hopped closer to the building, she felt her armpits chafe along with her tights. This armor had served her well since she had bought it a year ago with her mother, but it was clearly not designed to fit her powers. Especially now that she had an unlimited source of these powers and didn't intend on giving it up.

The building was just within reach now. It stood between her and the sun, meaning the ground was now cast in shade and safe for her bare foot to walk on. She walked right up to the building, slightly waddling to prevent her legs from chafing, and noticed that a large door was built into the front. It had no handle or way to open it, and she even tried pushing it.

She waited for a bit, unsure of what to do. If she had looked up, she would've noticed a long box jutting out from the wall. A lens rested inside the box and focused on her. The door opened, much to her surprise. Severa looked around at the dark interior of the building. She could barely see inside it, let alone who opened the door for her.

Deciding she would rather explore this building instead of trudge through the hot sun to the even hotter volcano, Severa entered the large doorway. The flooring felt exactly like the same kind outside, only colder as she tried to discern her surroundings from the darkness.

**The doors slammed shut behind her, just as lights above flickered to life. The room was bathed in a white glow, revealing that Severa's surroundings were also pure white. Floors, walls, and the dividers that partitioned out rooms in the hallway she was in were all white. Even the windows had a white tint to them. The only object in this room that wasn't white was the strips of purple light on the corners, guiding her vision to a door at the end of the hall.

Severa walked along, clanking her metal boots down the hall until she stood before the next door. It opened on its own, revealing a large, circular room. In the center was a see-through model of Duma hovering above the ground. Severa walked up to it and curiously poked it with her finger, only for her hand to phase right through it as though it wasn't there.

To her immediate right was a small door, similar to the elevators in the Grimaret. She walked up and pressed a button next to it. which lit up as she pulled her finger back. The doors slid open and confirmed this was an elevator, with a small room inside.

More importantly, there was a gift-wrapped box on the floor. A tag dangled from the top lid of the box and had her name on its front. She lifted it up, feeling its heft and then turned the tag around.

"To my lovely daughter who means the world to me. Love - Grima." A smiley face was drawn on the tag. Severa wondered why Grima left the box here, and why he was giving her gifts.

She didn't mind the gesture, because free stuff was free stuff, but she still felt… off in accepting gifts from him. Her hands unwrapped the box and revealed a folded-up purple suit with a red Grimleal logo on the back. The material felt like nothing she had ever felt before; it felt smoother than her clothing yet sturdier than her boots. The box dropped to the floor as she lifted the suit up, holding it as it unfurled and revealed that it covered her full body except for her head. It even had built-in areas for her feet that had individual areas for her toes. She held the suit against her body, noticing that it fit her like a glove.

A note dropped out of the suit's leg and to the floor. Using one hand to hold the suit up and the other to pick the note off the ground, she read the small piece of parchment. "Let's go to the thirty-fourth floor and try it out." This note had the same handwriting as the tag on the box and had another smiley face on it.

Severa turned around and noticed that almost all the buttons on the elevator had no light in them, save for the ground floor and the thirty-fourth-floor buttons.

Although she did wonder why the other buttons didn't work, as tested by her dragging her hand along all of them, she eventually did as Grima's note said and hit the button for the thirty-fourth floor. A ding was heard as the door closed and the elevator began to rise, leaving her to wait.

She _could_ put the suit on now. The walls were closed off and nobody was around, but on the other hand, she was not inclined to trust a gift from Grima. However, her broken boot was getting more irritating by the second and her chest felt like it was on fire

With a sigh, she undid her belt and began to remove her shirt, only to notice that one of the white walls was now a window to the outside.

"Ah!" She yelped in panic as she quickly put her shirt back on. Severa looked out the window to see that the elevator she was in continued to rise. The ground grew farther away with every second; from her view, the volcano that once towered over her now looked like an anthill. Even the mountains of white rock now looked like simple sugar cubes.

The window disappeared, replaced by another white wall. Severa sighed and tried to steel her sense of unease from the height, then resumed in putting the suit on.

On the thirty-fourth floor, a ding was heard as the elevator doors slid open. Severa walked out of the elevator and onto the stable floor, wearing her new purple suit and carrying her old clothing in a pile. Red stripes went down from the sides of her shoulders to her wrists, then returned back to her torso and down her side. They stopped at her ankles and finished the symmetrical pattern.

Around her was a large room with three walls and a window to the outside. She freely wiggled her toes in her new shoes as she walked towards the window. For some reason, she no longer felt a rash in her arm or leg joints. She didn't know why, but she suspected it might have something to do with how clean her new garments were.

The last time she washed her old clothing was… " _Gods, I can't even remember…_ "

As she looked out across Father's Pride, to the various canyons and mountains, she could see a bit of her own reflection staring back at her. She would be lying if she said the new suit looked bad on her; it stuck to her figure just as nicely as her old clothing, yet the design of the suit was more… exotic. She was sure to stand out in a crowd with how advanced it looked.

One thing she noticed, however, was that her eyes were no longer red. The red lines on the suit were dimmed as well. Severa looked to her left and found a white desk for her to put her old clothing on. She set her garments on the desk and pulled the scale from Grima out of her pant pocket.

Her gaze turned to the underside of her arm, where a faded outline in the shape of a scale was imprinted on the suit. She held the scale over it, noticing that it fit right over the outline perfectly, then was shocked when the scale jumped from her hand and into the outline. Again, she felt a surge of power rush to her veins as her eyes grew red. The scale stuck to her underarm and continued to stay there as she shook her arm. Now the red lines on her suit were glowing, and a voice spoke from her wrist.

"Protective field activated."

"Cool." She mumbled to herself, thankful that she didn't need to keep reaching into her pocket. Checking to see if anything had changed, she wrapped her knuckles against the top of her chest. To her surprise, a metal-like plate sprung from the suit and met her fist. The plate felt stronger than the hardest steel she could imagine as she drew her hand away, and the plate sunk back into her suit and was indistinguishable from the rest of the fabric.

Her gaze turned from her suit to her right, where a door to the next room stood and toyed with her curiosity. She entered the door to the next room and found it had no window, instead lit by lights in the ceiling. A glass wall to her right divided the room into two sections, and on the other side were two mannequins standing with their arms outstretched. One mannequin was wearing an exact copy of her old outfit, and the other was wearing a replica of her new one.

On the side of the window that she was in, Severa saw a large, red button on a raised stand. There were no other doors, and this room looked too clean to have a deathtrap in it, meaning that this was probably the last place on this floor she could check. She was curious why one of the mannequins had a copy of her outfit. "Please don't be a trap please don't be a trap…" Severa closed her eyes and pressed the button with a nervous gulp.

A few seconds passed and she was still alive. Severa opened her eyes and watched as the mannequins moved apart, thanks to the poles connecting them to the floor. Mechanical arms like the ones outside protruded from the walls and hovered over the two mannequins, ending with small nozzles instead of hands.

"Test one: flames." A voice spoke from somewhere, Severa wasn't sure where. It sounded like a message that had been recorded earlier.

She would have to wonder that later, as the mechanical arms began to expel a great deal of flame onto the mannequins. There was such a large amount of flame that Severa couldn't see if their clothes had burned off or not until the flames were gone.

After a few seconds of watching flames expel from the mechanical arms, the arms drew back and revealed what they had done to the mannequins. The one wearing her old suit had been burned to a pile of ash, and the one wearing the new suit looked just fine.

The pile of ash was carried away into the wall by the trackpad on the floor; another mannequin wearing her old uniform took its place.

"Test two: combat." The voice returned, and with it so did the mechanical arms. Now they brandished swords, lances, and axes in their tiny grips. Severa almost found it adorable, at least until they started to viciously slash at the mannequins like a gang of bandits.

Her duplicated old outfit was cut to ribbons by the furious slashes and stabs from the weapons. The mannequin wearing her old suit was decapitated, and more and more of its body was cut to pieces from the torrent of steel. Meanwhile, the one wearing her new suit survived the assault. Thanks to the plates that protruded from the suit and blocked the blows, the mannequin was intact. Even its head was safe, as the plates seemed to sense blows to its head and rise to deflect them.

The arms drew back again, and so did the remnants of the mannequin. Another replacement appeared. Severa already pondered what insane test was next.

"Final test: wear and tear." The robotic voice was back, but the arms were not. Instead, the poles grounding the mannequins began to move, and so too did the mannequins. They ran in place, matching each other's speed. But, the speed began to increase. Now they were running faster than what Severa considered a normal run, and even faster still.

A rip formed in the duplicate of her old outfit, running across its entire length as the mannequin sped up. The rip grew until the replica of her out suit was torn in two, and smoke was rising out of the soles of the boots. Severa winced as the chest of the mannequin was exposed, thankful that this had never occurred to her. Especially in the streets of New Ylisstol, with everyone _and_ Lucina watching.

"Test complete." The voice concluded, and the lights in the mannequin room dimmed until Severa could only see her reflection in the pitch-black darkness.

" _I'm practically invincible now…_ " A grin formed on her face. " _I can be Lucina's indestructible shield._ " As she began to idly swing her arms, she noticed that her clenched fists had an extra layer of metal plates from the suit wrapped around them. Her arms felt heavier, but still able to throw a hefty punch. But as she relaxed her arms, the plates sunk back into the suit. " _I can even knock Grima out with one punch! Probably…_ "

She turned back around and to the original room, only giving a passing glance to her old suit on the table. How she could even be bothered to wear something so primitive was beyond her, but that was the past now.

Returning to the elevator, she pressed the button for the ground floor and spent the ride wondering why the rest of the buttons were greyed out. There were multiple floors below the ground floor, but for some reason, they were greyed out as well. The ground-most floor even had the initials D.R.P. instead of the standard numbers. " _What the hell does DRP stand for? Dying Rural Program? Distinguished Red Place?_ "

A ding was heard as the elevator door opened, returning her to the ground floor. An idea formed in her mind as she pressed the button for the thirty-fourth floor again, only to hold the doors of the elevator open with her god-like strength, pushing against the force trying to slide them together. She noticed that there was two sets of doors: one as part of the elevator and another to prevent anyone from falling down the shaft.

She shifted her grasp to the other set of doors and stood just outside of the elevator's doors as they closed shut, and moved up the shaft. With her arms apart and keeping the outside set of doors at bay, she looked down the dark pit of the elevator shaft. "Here goes…" She mumbled to herself as she quickly jumped down the shaft, hearing the doors slam shut behind her before she fell.

As she continued to fall down the shaft with wind lashing at her hair, she bent her knees and aimed her feet down as she braced for impact. Eventually, the pitch-black darkness gave way to a steel floor. The floor wobbled under her weight as she landed with a loud thud, similar to when she fell down the height of the Grimaret. Ahead of her was another set of sliding doors like the ones she had exploited to get here.

***Pushing them open and stepping inside while they closed behind her, Severa stepped into a large room with windows to her left and right. But whereas the windows above showed an idyllic land barely touched by Grima's influence, these windows showcased something else.

All around her was obsidian-colored cliffs and valleys, illuminated by flows of bright lava. Some of the lava flows were even right next to the window, bathing the room in an orange light. She stepped forward through the empty room into what looked like the main lobby. The color scheme of the rooms was now purple, much like Grima's skin, and a thin layer of dust was on the floor.

" _How long has it been since someone was down here?_ " Severa asked herself.

In the circular lobby of this floor was a massive statue of Duma that loomed over her. Behind him and hanging over an entrance to a hallway was a large sign that read "Duma Resurrection Project."

"So that's what D.R.P. means…" Severa folded her arms, only now thinking about what that really meant. Especially as she stared at the rows and rows of fangs in the mouth of the Duma statue. " _Oh._ "

Her curiosity continued to exploit her as she walked down the hallway, nervously glancing at the rivers of lava outside the windows. Her mother told her once about the Demon's Ingle, a volcano made from the remnants of the Mad God, Duma. Was this what the Demon's Ingle was like before Grima arrived?

At the end of the hallway was another room, similar in design to the ones on the thirty-fourth floor. A window replaced the back wall and showed off more of this underground hellscape. Set against the purple obsidian was a crisscrossing network of pipes, far too many to count, and all of them protruded the same spot above the ground. But while some of them led to this building, others went off in a different direction, unknown to Severa.

At her left was another sliding door. She stepped inside and found herself in a long, vertical room with a large screen to her left instead of a wall. The screen stretched the entire duration of the room, and at the end she stood at was a button. Much like the button in the mannequin room. She pressed the button, pondering what it could do as the screen flickered to life.

"Duma Resurrection Project" was imprinted on the screen in big, flashing letters. An arrow pointed her to the next section of the screen, which she walked over to. This section showed two scenes, both of which were animated like a moving picture. One was the mountain from outside, bathed in sunlight and again called Father's Pride, and the other a massive toppled tree in a dead forest called Mother's Misery. Beneath both of these landmarks was a network of pipes that lead to the next screen.

On the next section was a single building that the pipes led to. A square of steel that jutted out from the landscape like that one building Severa had escaped in the desert. Judging by the title at the top, this place was called "The Chemical Refinery." The other half of this section had a magnifying glass over the building in the top left, and it showed two large glass canisters. One on the left held lava, and the other held what looked like sap. The two fluids were mixed into one larger container. Severa wondered why they needed sap from two sources if this had something to do with only reviving Duma.

But she kept her questions to herself as she moved to the next section, ignoring that one of the red eyes on her back was flickering on and off like a beacon. This next section showed that the fluid was taken from the Chemical Refinery and put on the Specter Express, which carried it across the sea dividing Ylisstol and Valm.

If Severa wasn't so glued to the screens, she would've heard footsteps approaching from the rooms near her.

This fluid was then emptied off of the train into the Ylissean Royal Castle, which Severa could recognize even without the name in the top. Then, according to the next screen, this fluid was enveloped over a skeleton and grew in size until it apparently made a new Duma.

The very last section showed both Duma and Grima's dragon looming over the Ylissean Castle and smiling. At the gate of the castle were small, pixelated figures smiling as well.

Grima, her mother, Morgan, and herself.

Severa felt a chill run down her spine and backed up, only to bump into something that she was sure was not a wall. Her heart began to beat out of her chest as she turned around and saw Grima looming over her, with his red eyes accentuated by the low light level.

"You're not supposed to be down here."


	54. S Act II A Funeral of Flowers Part XVIII

Severa's Tale: Act II

Section B

A Funeral of Flowers

Part XVIII

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Full Confession_ from _Katana Zero_ when you see one * mark.

* * *

On the main floor of the white building, a ding was heard from the elevator as its doors slid open. Grima stepped out with a firm hand on Severa's shoulder and leading her out as well. Neither of them looked like they wanted to be here.

"Aren't you going to explain yourself?" Grima asked as he dragged her along towards the front door. Severa replied with silence as she dragged her feet. "I was fine with you entering this lab early, hence why I opened the door for you, but you should not have gone to the restricted floors."

"Why?" She replied in a grating tone that Grima knew he wouldn't put up with if anyone else had used it.

"Because the information down there is confidential. Con-fi-dential. Got it?" He locked eyes with her and looked genuinely frustrated. "When there is a big sign saying 'do not enter' that means you do not enter."

"I should've put the same sign over my father's body before you walked in like you own the place." Grima stopped dead in his tracks at Severa's comment. "Hell, it wouldn't have hurt to put that on my mother's forehead too." His eyes were twitching.

His silent response would've scared anyone else into staying quiet. Severa lacked that caution. "How does it feel to sleep with a woman who doesn't love you? How do her lips feel when she kisses you? What about trying to raise kids that hate you with every bone in their body?" Severa spoke as Grima's pace hastened. They were outside the lab and standing on the lawn now. "I bet-"

Before Severa could even finish the nasty insult she had concocted, a strange sound was heard behind her. She turned around and saw a large, swirling hole of dark magic standing before her, then felt a hand shove her inside the hole. Severa screamed as a strange, tingling sensation rushed over her body along with the wave of darkness. She could barely see her own nose while she felt like she falling through a lake.

A dim light returned as Severa found herself collapsed on the ground. Said ground felt surprisingly cold, in sharp contrast to the warmth outside. She looked around and saw that she was lying face-down inside a cavern made of purple rocks, with a dim light at her left illuminating her view.

As she got to her feet, she walked over to the light to see a sharp drop with glowing lava at the bottom. Just like the very same lava in that underground floor of the building. In fact, the colors of the rocks were almost identical to the obsidian on those floors. "Hello?" She cupped her hands to her mouth and called out. Her voice echoed about with no response.

As she looked around the small cavern, trying to find an exit, she noticed a hole in the wall with a dim glow dancing around the edges. A darker luminescence than the one given off by the lava, this crimson glow toyed with her curiosity and seemingly beckoned her towards it. She walked into the hole in the wall, discovering a tunnel that was bathed in the crimson light. Through twists and turns, she walked, wondering what awaited her at the end of this tunnel.

Her questions were answered as she happened upon another small room, roughly the same size as the one she had been teleported to. The only light source was a collection of dazzling crystals that protruded from the walls, ceiling, and even the floor. Each one gave off a crimson glow, the very same one that drew her here.

As she walked past the various rubies, her gaze settled on one at the very end of the room. Roughly the size of the back wall, this massive gemstone's glow outshined the others as Severa stood directly in front of it.

She stared at the large crystal, seeing her reflection in its sheen. Dirt and rocks lined her frowning face, along with several other bruises that she must've gotten. Her vision began to blur as she stared at the large crystal and her reflection.

Her white hair worn down like her mother's and her new armaments. This is what she had become. Little did she notice that the scale on her arm was glowing and reacting, sending more and more flakes into her body.

Severa felt her knees buckle as she toppled to the floor, staring at the crystal all the while.

As she closed her eyes, she wondered when was the last time she had smiled.

* * *

With her snow boots pulled over her feet, Severa opened the front door of her home and stepped outside to the wintery wonderland that awaited her. The trees still retained their green coloration, only now contrasted by white streaks of snow. She could barely even see past the fog as she put one foot down and felt it sank beneath the snow.

Her father was already outside, waving his hands and levitating piles of snow with his magic. All Severa had was a small shovel.

"This is the worst birthday ever." Severa groaned as she trudged her way up to her father and stood next to him. Snow leaked from outside into her boots.

"Oh, it's not so bad." Grima looked at the large pile of snow he was holding above the ground, then at the small mound Severa had lifted in her shovel. He then tossed the pile to the side without saying a word.

"Why couldn't I get your magic like Morgan?" She asked as she continued to shovel mounds to the side. "Then we could just burn this stuff and be done with it."

"But then the snow would melt, no?" A sizable path had been cleared out. "What happens to that melted snow in this cold?"

"...It freezes into ice." Severa frowned as her arms began to ache. "And we slip on ice."

"That's why we move the snow to the side. So it freezes to ice over there and not on our front doorstep."

About half an hour passed before they were done. Severa knew she did roughly a quarter of the shoveling, but she could only focus on how sore her arms felt. "Nice work."

"Can I go inside now?" Severa's response was almost immediate and the exhaustion in her tone was palpable.

"Yes, yes we can go inside." Grima took one last look at the shoveled pathway to his house. "Your mother's probably finished lunch by now." Severa tossed her shovel to the side and rushed to the door. Grima sighed and picked up her shovel, only to see that Severa stopped before the door and was staring at a pile of snow to her left.

Within the blink of an eye, Severa ran to the pile and turned around, falling onto it back-first. She laughed with glee as she waved her arms and legs, pushing the snow aside. She stood back up and saw the snow angel she had made in the snow.

What stuck out to her was the red symbols in the snow, six eyes in the section of the angel made by her arms. They glowed with crimson light and made her head hurt. Severa turned around and quickly rushed to the door, choosing to ignore those markers.

As she pushed open the front door and shook the snow off her boots, Severa stepped inside her house and removed her winter gear. Her mother was sitting on the couch and reading a book while Morgan slept next to her, curled up like a cat.

"Did your father say you were done?" Cordelia remembered the numerous times Severa would sneak inside before her chores outside were done.

"Yes." She groaned in response as she clambered onto the couch and rested her head on her mother's arm. She continued to shiver, although the warmth from her mother helped.

About a minute of silence passed before Grima entered, shaking the snow off his coat and walking into the kitchen. He returned with a large, gift-wrapped box in his arms. With a smile on his face, he handed it to Severa.

She eagerly ripped the box open, revealing a suit made of some foreign material. It felt unlike anything Severa had worn as she lifted it up. "Happy thirteenth birthday."

* * *

The lower floors of the Grimaret were a bit louder than usual as Severa tried to pass through the crowd. There was a reason for this crowd, to be fair, but she still found it annoying to brush past all these people. In the central lobby, looming above the crowd, was a statue of a skeletal, green dragon.

Severa also picked out her mother, wearing a fancy dress and sitting by herself. Her father was busy entertaining guests at the front stage. She made a beeline and pulled up a chair next to her.

"Are you okay?" Her mother asked amidst the roar of the crowd. She then ran her hand along Severa's forehead. "You have some stuff in your hair."

"Thanks. I'll be fine. Where's Morgan?" She asked, scanning the roar of the crowd to try and find her-

Cordelia quickly glanced down at the table without saying anything and continued to move her eyes from Severa to the table as though she was guiding her with her sight. Severa pushed her chair back and leaned down, lifting the tablecloth up to reveal Morgan lying on the floor and wincing. She was huddled up next to Cordelia's legs and would probably be holding on for dear life if her hands weren't covering her ears.

Crowds were never her strong suit. Quickly, she glanced up from under the table to above it, locking eyes with her father up ahead. She then looked back down under the table and stuck her hand out.

"I don't wanna!" Morgan groaned, barely audible from the roar of the crowd.

"What? Do you like laying on the dirty floor?" Severa asked, now shaking her extended hand.

"...No, b-but-" Morgan replied. She looked even more nervous than before.

"When was the last time they cleaned that floor? I think it might've been last month, or maybe the one before that…"

Without saying a word, Morgan shot upright and yelped as she banged her head on the table. Cordelia, meanwhile, was talking to some friends and tried her best to ignore that the table just shook. Instead, she mumbled something about her damned knee acting up again.

This excuse wouldn't help when the sound of her daughter's cries sounded underneath the table, muffled yet still loud enough to silence the crowd. All eyes fell on Cordelia as she coughed and nervously laughed, then the focus shifted to her two daughters who emerged from underneath the table. Severa gave a sheepish smile to the masses and her glaring mother while Morgan's hood was drawn over her tear-stricken face.

As though nothing had occurred, the roar of the crowd started up again. Leading Morgan by the hand, Severa dragged her sister past the crowd and to her father at the front of the large room.

"They're all making fun of me…" Morgan whimpered. Severa opened her mouth to speak but realized she wasn't one to console others on doubting themselves.

Grima's eyes focused on Severa and by extension, Morgan, as he continued to make small talk with the upper class of Ylisstol. He continued to ramble on, something about his progress in reviving Duma and ignoring his daughters all the while. Severa tapped on his shoulder to no response.

"Dad." She spoke. Grima's friends turned their gaze to her, yet he still refused to budge. She tapped on his shoulder even faster now. "Dad dad dad dad dad daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

Grima slowly turned around with the hairiest eyebrow Severa could possibly imagine staring directly into her soul.

"What. Is. It?" With his fists and teeth clenched, he grumbled.

"Your loving daughter wanted to spend time with you." Morgan always was able to handle a crowd better when she was near her father. Before Grima could retort, Morgan had already hurried to his back and was hiding underneath his cloak. "Love you, by the way."

"...I love you too, sweetie." Grima began tending to Morgan while he glanced at Severa, watching as she walked away. Severa looked around, trying to relocate her mother's table. Instead, her gaze focused on a mysterious, cloaked figure standing on the sidelines and staring at Grima.

Severa locked gazes with the cloaked figure; the energy of the crowd was gone, now replaced by the palpable tension between this mysterious individual and herself. The figure walked away, striding down the hall and out of Severa's vision.

Wondering just who the hell that was and what they wanted with her father, Severa followed, only seeing them again as she watched them enter an elevator from the main lobby. She pushed the button for the next elevator and strummed her fingers along the wall; every passing second felt longer than the last.

The waiting continued as Severa entered the elevator that the cloaked figure had used and rode it up to the plaza floor of the Grimaret, which was shockingly empty. The bustling crowds that normally lined the pathways were gone, probably either sleeping or downstairs.

But, just as there was no bustling crowds, there was no cloaked figure either. She must've spent five minutes walking around the plaza, checking every store and behind the fountain twice just for good measure. Her search concluded right where it started: empty-handed and in front of an elevator. Severa sighed as she combed over the area around her one last time, hoping that just maybe this mysterious figure would show up and be open to interrogation.

The elevator behind her dinged, startling her as she turned around. Her mother stepped out of the small, moving room and onto the plaza.

"Are you okay?" She repeated from before, but without the roar of the crowd, her question seemed more sincere.

"Y-yeah I uh…" Her heart was pounding in her chest. She had never failed her parents before like this. "I was just uh… You know…"

"Looking for someone?" Severa cursed the fact that nobody knew her better than her mother.

"...Yes." Her head hung low, Severa admitted her failure for no one to see. "There was this cloaked person hanging out on the lower floor and staring at dad and then they left upstairs and-" She stopped as she noticed her mother holding her hands up.

"One thing at a time, dear." Her soothing tone slightly mollified Severa's racing heart, but a chill ran down her spine.

She had been in this plaza before. Not in this life. The life she had spent with Grima. She remembered walking through this very same plaza with a girl who had blue hair and was standing in front of her right now.

Cordelia's gaze turned from Severa to where Severa was looking. She didn't like what she was looking at. "Severa."

For once in her life, Severa ignored her mother's commands as she continued to stare at this blue-haired girl. She remembered countless days of her childhood, romping around the forests with this girl and returning to her mother's embrace.

With her father missing ever since she was six. "Severa! Stop looking at her!" Severa turned back to face her mother, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

"Her name is Lucina!" She screamed in response to the illusion of her mother. "She's the only real thing in here!" Severa turned to face Lucina, only to see that in her place was a bald, featureless woman. "...Where did she go?"

Another chill ran down her back as she felt a hand grab her by the shoulder. She whipped her head back around and prepared a speech to give to her mother, only to find she was face to face with her fath- Grima.

*"I had such faith in you, too…" He sighed, then shoved her to the ground. His calm tone betrayed his harsh mannerisms. "And then you had to muck it all up."

"What the hell do you mean? You tried to cast an enchantment on me!" Her head throbbed as she landed on the hard floor and just barely managed to focus on Grima.

"You had the perfect life, the perfect home, the perfect family, and _the perfect_ father, yet still you want more. You'd rather be with a man who abandoned you for ten years over me?" He waved his hands, projecting images that surrounded Severa, reflections of her past. The past Grima had given her.

Images of herself as a child at feasts of food, images of herself swaddled in the arms of her mother and Grima, and even images of herself at a party and surrounded by friends. "I feed you, I shower you with affection, and I give you everything that you could ever ask for! The clothes on your back! Your friends all around you! All provided by me!"

Her vision was swarmed by these images, falsehoods provided by Grima. But in all of these images, she never saw _her_ friends. Lucina, Owain, Noire, even Inigo. These were the friends _Grima_ wanted for her.

This was the life Grima wanted her for, not her life. Slowly, she got to her feet as she glared at him.

"What good is a life someone hand-picks out for you? These clothes?" She pointed to her suit. "Those friends? The food? You picked it all out. I didn't choose those. You did."

"And your point?" Grima asked, standing his ground while Severa walked up to him. They were inches from each other's face as they stared each other down.

"You don't want me to live my life. You want me to live out what you want for my life. You don't want the Shepherds to have peace in the afterlife. You want them to live out what you think is peace in the afterlife. I'm done with being your puppet." She fought every urge telling her to stumble and trip on her words as she felt ten years of rage swell in her throat.

"...Fine." He snapped his fingers. A swirl of darkness enveloped him and leaving nothing in his place when it dissipated. "Be that way. If you want your old life back, then you can have it." His voice lingered, echoing around the room. The same darkness that carried him away reappeared in the distance, swirling like a maelstrom of violent, crashing waves. A woman stood in the center, wearing a cloak and brandishing a sword Severa recognized all too well.

The hood of her cowl was blown back by the dark winds while they dissipated, revealing her blue hair. Severa was able to get a good look at her face, specifically her worn armor and the eyepatch over her left eye.

"...Lucina?" Severa hardly recognized her over the distance, and the change in apparel didn't make it easier.

"I had that name once. A while ago. I remember my mother and father called it out before they were murdered."

Severa didn't respond. This wasn't her Lucina. "I remember the man who murdered them. Hair white as ash, like yours. An infectious smile creeping along his lips while he drove a blade through my mother's heart. It was the same smile I saw on a man downstairs, with his loving family. You were there. You noticed me and followed me up here."

No response. Lucina began to slowly walk towards her. Her sword was trembling and pointed at Severa's chest. "It must feel so nice to have one of those. A family. I can't even remember my brother's name, because it's been so long since I watched the color fade from his eyes." Severa was staring at the floor, unable to look at her friend.

"His name was Inigo." She muttered.

"Shut up. You don't know how insufferable your voice is. You don't know how much planning went into tonight, only for you to catch me and ruin everything. Unless…" Lucina's eye shifted to the scale on Severa's arm. "That's one of his scales. An object brimming with power and you wear it as a bauble. An object that could let me slay that gods-damned monster downstairs."

Severa shifted her posture so that the scale was out of Lucina's view. "Have you ever heard the fires of a burning building? It's quite distinct from the fireplaces I assume your parents made. The searing of flesh, the screams of innocents drowned out by the crackling of flames… It's the only thing I've heard for ten years."

Their movements were still yet the air between them was crackling with energy. "But, as I stare down the spawn of the monster that killed my family, the crackling of the flames grows quieter. You can guess why I want this moment to last forever."

Lucina bent her knees and brought her sword up, no longer trembling. Severa could hardly find the strength to draw her own. "Draw your weapon."

"No." She snapped back, her face as red as the blood on Lucina's clothing.

"A quick death? I expected more from the spawn of Grima." Barely a second passed after she spoke and Lucina was already sprinting at Severa. She slammed her sword down upon the girl, only to have it caught by segments of Severa's arm-guards that expanded out like a shield. Lucina brought her sword down again, expecting a different result but was met with disappointment. She quickly darted back, noticing that the arms of Severa's suit shrunk back from their shield-like formation.

With her right hand extended outwards, her suit formed into a blade that Severa clasped in her trembling grip. She charged Lucina, stopping just before she was in striking distance and hoping she would take the bait.

She did not. Instead, she lunged so fast that Severa's suit couldn't react and left her defenseless. Lucina wedged her sword onto the scale affixed to Severa's arm, driving the tip between the suit and the scale before she used all her strength to pry it off.

Severa watched in fear as the scale flew off her suit and through the air. Lucina dove after it and caught it in her grasp as she fell on the ground. Severa tried to give chase, yet as she was about to strike Lucina in the back of her head, her arm stopped. She simply stood over her and watched as Lucina swept her foot through her legs, knocking her to the floor.

"...Stop. Please… You're not like this." Severa coughed as she landed on the floor; her stomach ached and her entire body felt sore.

"How would you know?" Lucina stood over her as she held the ebony-black scale in her hand. "You've known nothing but tranquility your entire life."

"This… This isn't my life! You're not the Lucina I know! This isn't… This isn't…" Her mind stopped dead in its tracks, unable to formulate anything as Lucina continued to stand over her. "Why are you doing this?"

"For my father…" Lucina mumbled as she affixed the scale to her blade. It pulsed a sickening glow of dark light. "For my brother… For my family and friends, for EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE TAKEN FROM ME!" Her voice cracked while she screamed, holding her sword aloft. A light began to form in Falchion as it extended to a long, shimmering blade of light. One that was about to cut Severa in two.

Thinking on instinct, Severa swept her arm through Lucina's legs and knocked her to the floor as she had done to her. Falchion was thrown out of her grasp and into the fountain, where it broke a hole in the stone foundation.

Water began to flood the plaza, endlessly spilling out of the broken fountain. Severa and Lucina both laid on the floor, panting for breath and struggling to remain afloat. Severa dragged herself over to Lucina, her entire body felt numb but she didn't care. She pulled herself atop Lucina and locked eyes with her, the woman who just tried to kill her. But she didn't care.

Despite every urge in her body telling her otherwise, Severa grabbed Lucina by the sides of her head and brought her own head close.

She planted a kiss upon her lips, despite ten years of repression telling her otherwise. She didn't care.

It felt right.

* * *

Severa awoke back in the dusty caves that she had fallen asleep in. Her mouth tasted awful and her limbs felt numb.

Yet she still remembered the feeling of Lucina's lips nuzzling up against her own. It was the only thing she thought of as she got up and looked at herself in the reflection of the large crystal.

Her reflection was of a crying girl with white hair who wore her hair down and had a strange suit on. She didn't see herself. She saw someone else entirely. Someone that she didn't like or want to be.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her hair ties that she had discarded only mere hours ago and wrapped them around her hair. She was only satisfied when her hair looked exactly like it did before today, in two pigtails.

Severa walked out of the crystal room and back to the one that Grima had left her in. She looked down over the ledge and at the hole full of lava. Gusts of heat blasted her face, and she turned her focus to the scale on her arm. The object that her best friend almost killed her over.

Ripping the scale out of her suit with forceful anger, Severa clenched it in her hand and held it above the lava. She held this pose for a long while until she hurled the scale to the fiery depths below, watching as it sank below the molten embrace.

Severa walked away, she didn't wish to watch it burn. Instead, her gaze focused on another hole in the wall, unlike the one she just emerged from. Faintly, the chirping of birds was heard. Severa followed the chirping down the path. The one she chose.

* * *

Extended author's note:  
Well this has been a uh... long pause between updates. This chapter was a serious pain to put together for the longest time, on top of other stuff I was going through. Summer job, getting ready for school, planning out other stuff for this story, etc. I think I'm gonna remove Hisame's Beautiful Smile from the trilogy and just make it its own separate thing. Having it in here complicates stuff too much IMO. I also think that I'm going to go back to the batch upload structure for chapters because I am disappointed that it's been one year since I've started this act/section/whatever and it's still not done.

However, I just want to make it clear that I promise this story will be completed. 100%. Scout's honor. I would feel awful if I left this without a conclusion, no matter how long it takes to get there.


	55. S Act II: A Funeral of Flowers Part XIX

Severa's Tale: Act II

A Funeral of Flowers

Section B

Part XIX

Author's note: I recommend listening to _Shadowbringers Intro Theme_ from _Final Fantasy XIV_ when you see one * mark, _Lava Reef Act 2_ from _Sonic Mania_ when you see two ** marks, and _Red Moon_ from _Sonic: After the Sequel_ when you see three *** marks.

* * *

"Miriel and Kellam?" A droll voice asked while Gaius' eyelids fluttered open. No response was provided to the question. "Gaius?" The voice didn't seem to care about the lack of a response. "Gaius." It did, however, seem to be growing impatient.

Gaius came to his senses and mumbled a curse as he recognized the familiar interior of the Specter Express. The man who had just killed him was standing over him with a disinterested look. "Here and present," Grima mumbled as he went back to the central walkway and continued down the list.

"Good morning to you as well," Gaius grumbled. A look of defeat hung on Grima's face as he continued down the list, reading off names. All Gaius could focus on was how he was dreaming about Sumia and Cynthia again.

The rest of the Shepherds looked on with a sullen stare as Grima walked down the aisle. Before he could even finish his list, he sighed and stopped himself.

"How many times have we done this?" Grima stood before the captive audience and tossed the list aside. "I kill you, you act all moody, I sit here and apologize to you all, and we end up feeling worse than we felt before this started. So you know what? Forget the apologies."

He looked around at all the blank stares while his voice cracked. "We'll just… I don't know. We can just…"

"Let us go?" Lissa asked. "So we can see our families again?"

Grima's silence spoke volumes.

"I can't do that." All he could think about was Cordelia. How much she enjoyed spending time with her friends here. But that was only possible when they were caged in here.

Would she still love him if her friends weren't here?

"Can't? Or won't?" Gaius asked, brow furrowed and arms crossed.

"...Do you want me to lie or do you want the truth?"

"By all means, indulge us," Miriel spoke up.

"You're here as collateral, so Cordelia doesn't realize who she's in love with. If she gets to be with her friends, she's happy. She can't be with her friends if you're not on this plane of existence. So yes, I won't let you leave."

"And if we leave, you'll just hunt us down and put us back here." Gaius regained control of the conversation.

"Now you get it." Grima positioned himself at the door that led to the housing cars of the train. "I suggest you go back to your rooms and just sit tight. Severa is safe, Cordelia is tracking down Lucina, and soon enough you'll get to see them again. Really, you should be thanking me."

Jumping at the chance, Lissa stood up and walked right up in front of Grima. "Ah, Lissa. I always knew you were the most sensible of the-"

He would've finished his speech if it wasn't for Lissa smashing her fist into his cheek and landing a mean right hook. He reeled from the punch and landed on a bench. Lissa looked over him while he rubbed his jaw.

"How's that for a 'thank you'?" She didn't even wait for a response before giving a 'hmph' and walking to her room with tense shoulders. Grima bit his tongue, and before he could stand up he saw a line of Shepherds moving for the door.

Lon'qu walked past and spat on Grima's face. Vaike followed and landed a punch squarely on his gut. Miriel continued the conga line of abuse by throwing a book squarely at Grima's head. He recoiled further from the strike. Nowi didn't even look at him while she continued on. Stahl followed in Vaike's footsteps and struck Grima in the chest right as he regained consciousness.

"Ugghhhhh…" A groan escaped his lips, only for Donnel to blow a fat wad of spit into his mouth.

"We call that a greeting back where I'm from," Donnel replied with a cold tone. Panne lunged for his chest and used her claws to rend his flesh and his undershirt. Sully followed and wound up her fist while Grima braced for impact.

The endless line of trauma continued. Grima could barely remember the exact order of which Shepherds violated him in what order, outside of Tharja going for his groin. But Gaius stood at the end of the line, looking down at the bruised, spit-covered monster that wore his friend's skin.

"Go on. Get it over with." With a weak voice, Grima closed his eyes and waited. But the only thing he got was silence.

"Why did you sit here and let them do that to you?" Gaius sat down on the bench with one knee over his other.

"...Cordelia wouldn't like it if I killed them while I was in control."

"Is that really it?" Gaius' eyebrow was raised. A long, uncomfortable pause followed while they stared at each other. Gaius hated that he recognized Grima's eyes.

"...I don't know."

"Do you want what I think is the truth? Or do you want to keep lying to yourself?"

"Go ahead," Grima asked.

"You've gone soft. But you're not entirely soft. You're not monster enough to make people fear you, and you're not man enough to make them love you." With that, Gaius began to walk away. "And when you go to hell, I'll be the first to welcome you in."

Somehow, this last assault stung the most.

* * *

As Severa continued down the winding cave system, the chirping of the birds had grown louder and louder. Eventually, she noticed that the stone underneath her feet had turned to dirt. A faint light started to dart around the edges of the tunnel.

She stepped out of the tunnel and into a large area that she assumed was a cavern. This lasted for about five seconds before she realized it was more like a forest.

This was not just any forest, however. The trees were painted a bright crimson, including the foliage that grew on and around them. In place of sunlight were rays of light projected through large crystals on the ceiling of the cavern. These rays pierced through the veil of the trees and bathed the area in an ethereal glow.

The lights from the crystals were so bright that it bathed the rest of the forest in a slightly-gold aura that resembled fog. From what little of this massive forest Severa could make out, she thought the vines of the distant red trees resembled entrails.

Similarly to the gardens of Father's Pride, the mere sight of this lush, peaceful forest was enough to send a shock through her system. She could see actual animals frolicking about, including a pair of horses emerging from the fog-like light. One had a mane of gold and the other of light green-

" _Wait, a green horse?_ " Severa stopped her admiration of the scenery to question what sort of strange tomfoolery had brought a green horse into her view. As if fate was toying with her, two monkeys swung through the treetops above and briefly entered her field of view. One had brown fur as it should, but the other had green fur with a darker coloration than the horse.

Was something in the nearby waterfall that made these animals go green? Severa watched as the horses nuzzled each other before departing back into the glowing fog, and she figured she should investigate the nearby waterfall.

As she approached the rushing waterfall, she began to notice a figure floating in the river the waterfall emptied into. They were as motionless as a corpse, and they wore a black cloak with purple accents that Severa recognized. "Grima?!" She called out as she picked up her pace.

Grima couldn't even be bothered to look at Severa while he floated on his back in the river. He only pretended to notice her when she was leaning over him. Severa noticed the long tear on his shirt, and Grima noticed that she was back to wearing her hair in pigtails. "What happened to you? Why are you here? _Where_ is here, exactly?"

"One question at a time, please," Grima grumbled as he continued to float on the water that reached up to Severa's waist. "And can't a man just relax on the water once in a while?"

"So where are we?" Severa continued her assault of questions, only to be met with the stalwart defense of Grima sighing.

"Inside the volcano I talked about earlier. I teleported you here because I didn't feel like listening to you moan about everything I've ever done wrong."

"Funny of you to ignore the part where you tried to hypnotize me and make me think you actually were my father." Her tone was getting more irate as her shoulders tensed. Grima could swear he felt her frustrations vibrate through the water.

"I did that? Odd. You'd think I would remember doing that."

"You dropped me into a room with a big, red crystal, and the next thing I knew I had passed out. When I woke up, I had sixteen years' worth of memories of you as my father."

"...I see." A pause followed. "I think I accidentally dropped you into the Regression Glass room."

"The what now?" Severa asked with her eyebrow raised.

"Those crystals have the ability to mess with your mind just by looking at them. One long glance is all it takes and suddenly your mind is transported to a point in your memories. Then, something diverges in your memories, and you see a what-if scenario. Validar sacrificed himself for his wife and son, but what if he never remembered his wife? Aversa's home town was burned to the ground by Validar, but what if she was cast out by her family and sought revenge with Validar's help? Robin was your father, but what if I was Robin?"

"So the glass was used on Validar and Aversa?"

"Yes," Grima replied. "Grima's Truth, the sacred texts my followers covet, has a cover made out of it. When the book was used on them, it replaced the memories the Grimleal didn't want with the ones they needed.

"But if that's a fake vision, then why did Aversa talk about it like it was a curse?" Severa remembered her time in Validar's memories. Was this why his memories were so jumbled?

"If one succumbs to the Regression Glass for too long, then they return to the real world. However, they cannot tell truth from fiction. The lie is as real to them as the light above us."

"So why does it not affect me? Why did all of my memories come back when I saw Lucina in it?"

"I don't know. I could sit here and talk about the power of friendship and other hogwash like that, but frankly, I'm not in the mood to get saccharine."

"But then how did Validar remove it from Aversa? Why is he able to remember his wife?"

"Validar was powerful enough to remove the enchantment from others, but not himself. When he tried to do it many years ago, the glass had taken its hold on him for so long that it sent his mind into shock." Only now did Grima realize he had gotten some water lodged in his ear. "Memories of his wife would appear and then vanish the next day. Almost as if the glass was still holding on in his mind and censuring what little it could. A similar situation happened to Aversa when he removed it from her, but less severe. She has trouble remembering some things but other than that she seems fine."

"And you're okay with letting your top commanders realize they've had their memories held hostage?" Severa began to feel her feet ache from how long she had been standing.

"At the end of the day, they're still content serving me," Grima remembered that he hadn't checked on Validar after he had sucked the magic out of him, and added that to his mental to-do list.

Severa noted that Grima still hadn't explained the rip in his shirt, and likely never would. Eventually, her aching feet got to her as she rested on her back and began to float like Grima. "Calming, isn't it?" Grima asked while water rushed to her ears.

Five minutes of tranquility passed, where the only sound was of the forest and the rushing water. Eventually, Grima broke the silence with a question. "In those fake memories you had, what do you remember?" His tone had gone from bored to inquisitive.

"I remember we were out in the morning shoveling snow, and you taught me the value of hard work by showing that you couldn't just burn the snow."

"Couldn't we have just asked someone else to do it?" Grima replied. Severa's ears perked up and the lull she had remained in was shattered. "Seems like a waste of time to have us do it when someone else could."

"But that doesn't teach your kid a good lesson, does it?" Severa hoped that he was joking.

"Who cares about the lesson. We should've asked your mother to do it."

"Are you- Oh gods, you're serious." Severa flopped around and got to her feet. Her back felt cold from the water. Grima noticed that the scale he had given her was gone.

"What happened to my scale?"

"I threw it into some nearby lava. In those awful memories, Lucina almost killed me over it."

"Sounds like a waste of a gift if you ask me." Severa's frustration with him had reached a tipping point as she angrily loomed over him. "Why didn't you kill her?"

"You know what? Forget your gifts, forget your attitude, and forget what you did to my family." Severa walked away, out of the river and deeper into the forest. "Go to hell!"

Grima almost thought of a witty retort before he remembered Gaius' comment. He sighed as he looked to his left and saw a goose with orange feathers drifting along in the water, seemingly staring at Grima with its big, dumb eyes. "What are you looking at?"

The goose replied with a honk as it flapped its wings at Grima, then swam away. Behind it was a small, brown goose chick. He stared at the two birds for a while, noticing how the chick followed the older goose as though it was an unwritten rule. Because they were family.

The water splashed as Grima got to his feet and waded back to dry ground. An idea began to form in his head as he laid down and shut his eyes, dreaming of the soul this body once belonged to.

* * *

*Darkness covered the sky above, bathing the forest below in a sickly, purple coloration. Even the sun itself was tinted in this purple glow while it rose over the horizon. Grima stared at the darkened, mid-day sky and smiled. This was as it should be.

He walked into the forest and past the endless amount of trees. Normally, this place was supposed to be a pitch-black void with no features. He wondered why it was a forest, but had other pressing matters to attend to. Dead-center was a large rock, and a man laid atop that rock. The man looked identical to Grima, but with blue eyes instead of Grima's red.

"Why hello there, Robin," Grima called out while he approached. No response was given while Grima looked up and saw two massive holes in the sky. Normally, those would have shown what Grima saw in the waking world, were it not for his closed eyes. "Silent treatment, eh?"

Grima remembered how every time he visited Robin, the poor man would be either screaming his lungs off or sobbing uncontrollably. But now, there was nothing. Robin simply sat upright and gave him a bored stare before lying back down. "You uh… Are you going to say anything? It's been a while since I last visited and-"

"What more is there to say?" Robin asked, his tone was somehow even more apathetic than Grima's earlier this morning.

"You could get mad. Scream about how 'unjust' this all is." Grima remembered when he checked on Robin after owning his body for a year. He had prepared an entire speech on his hatred for Grima and barely got through the whole thing before he started crying.

"There's no point." A pause followed. "It was humourous to see you get your arse kicked by my friends, however. And good job with Severa, by the wa-"

"Shut up." Grima hastily replied. "I could kill any of them with a flick of my wrist."

"Oh, sure you can." Robin cracked a smile as he stood up. "But you won't."

"Yes, I could." Grima noticed that Robin was approaching, wearing a wide grin that unnerved him. "Stay back or I'll… I'll…"

"You'll what? Kill Cordelia?" More laughs were belted out by Robin. "You love her too much. It's almost sad, really. Poor little Grima couldn't find someone by being himself, so he has to wear my skin so he can feel a woman's touch."

"That's not true. Marla and I were happy together!"

"And she died. Alone, and without you there to sav-" Before Robin could finish, Grima held out his hand and materialized a sword that he jammed into Robin's gut. No words were exchanged, no quips or comebacks. Just two identical men seething with rage, and one of them smiling even as he died.

A minute passed before another Robin walked out from behind the rock while Grima pulled his sword out of the corpse. The smirk on Robin's face was driving him up a wall. "Such a boring use of our time."

"I came here for help with Severa. You saw how I did and I need advice."

"Why should I help? You have no leverage over me." Robin replied as he went back to laying down on the rock.

"Because it's something for you to do." Robin pondered his options before rolling over so that his back faced Grima. No answer was given, so Grima went down the list of back-up reasons. "...Because it's the right thing to do?"

"Don't make me laugh. The right thing to do would be you giving me my body back." Robin folded his arms.

"But then what would happen to me? Where would I go if you had control?"

"Back to your big floating body in the sky."

"B-but I can't rule with that! And if Cordelia knew I was-" His nervous tone made his voice crack.

"Oh, that's rich. Let me play you the world's smallest violin."  
"Would you want to live in that disgusting body?" Grima snapped his fingers, and in a flash of black smoke, Robin was transformed into a smaller version of Grima's dragon body. Notably, his eyes were blue instead of the normal red glow.

"What the-? Oh gods, what the hell is that feeling?" Robin's warped voice echoed out of the confused dragon. He felt like his insides were glistening.

"That's what it feels like to have hundreds of corpses squirming about inside you. The worst part is? I didn't eat them. _I'm made out of them_. So tell me, would you want to be in this body?"

Robin's answer was silence as the black smoke returned him to his regular self, still lying on the floor with his arms crossed. Grima replied with silence in turn as he stood up and walked away. Robin's voice echoed as he exited the forest.

"When you stab yourself in the throat, I'll be right there to twist the blade."

* * *

When Grima awoke back in the waking world, it was not the bugs crawling all over him that scared him. It was the fact that he was lying on his side with his arms crossed. He never slept on his side, and he never crossed his arms in his sleep either.

" _Was… Was Robin in control?_ " He thought. " _No, that's impossible. There's no way that he could…_ " He needed to focus on something else. Like finding Severa.

And so Grima stood up, dusted himself off, and stuffed his hands into his pockets while he followed the trail of footsteps Severa left. But like a hound thinking only of its next meal, Grima could not stop himself from thinking about Robin. " _When my mind is checking on him and not controlling his- my body, who's controlling my body?_ "

He would find no answers to this question while he followed the trail past more and more trees. The light bathing this forest in its glow was a sharp contrast to the darkness inside the dream Grima had just visited. but- " _Wait, is that why there was a forest there?_ _Was Robin the one who made the forest?_ "

Eventually, the tracks led him to a large bush that was about three times his height. But a small hole was at the bottom of the bush, which Grima crawled through.

**He emerged on the other side, with light no longer bearing down on him and now shining directly at him. The bush seemed to be an entrance to a large cave with a crystal in the center providing a life source, animals that crowded the crystal and nervously eyed Grima, and Severa. She didn't react as Grima walked towards her, unlike the animals that sat near her who shirked away.

"Hello. Mind if I sit here?" Grima asked while he stood over her. Her knees were brought to her chest.

"Go right ahead," Severa mumbled. Grima seated himself and looked around at the animals nervously eyeing him. The green and brown monkeys were back, along with the orange goose and its brown chick. A white fox hung near the back, followed by both a white bird and a yellow bird. Nearby, a light-blue peacock rustled its feathers.

What surprised Grima was that these animals were somehow able to fit through the hole in the hedge. This question was answered when a bull charged through the hedge, tearing a hole in it that was quickly filled back up with more leaves. This bull's hide was green, and the other animals stared at it in what Grima interpreted as a judging manner. The red panther seemed especially judgemental, and so too was the blue python at its feet.

"What's the deal with these animals anyway?" Severa asked while she was busy staring at the two lions cuddling in the corner, both of which had golden manes. If anything, their normal coloration made them stand out more in this oddly-colored zoo.

"I have a theory about that, and I don't think it's a coincidence. Do you know about Alm and Celica?"

"Kinda. Weren't they the heroes of Zofia who slew Duma and-"

"Heroes is one way to put it." Grima interrupted Severa and his brow furrowed. "But anyway, their bloodlines were linked to Duma and Mila respectively. So when I began harvesting Duma's 'quintessence' it pulled the quintessence of not only Alm but the people related to him specifically. Those who fought through thick and thin with him. This quintessence must've leaked out of the pipelines, and infected the nearby animals. So that bull over there, the green one." Severa's gaze followed his pointed finger. "Has the characteristics of… Forsyth? I think that was his name. Records say he was a bit clumsy but meant well. And this bull just tore through their secret entrance."

"That's interesting," Severa commented. "And really gods-damned weird."

A few more minutes of silence went by, minus the noises of the animals. The horses from earlier returned and nuzzled together in the corner, and now a grey wolf had entered Severa's field of view. It hung out near a collection of vines on the walls and began to whimper at Severa. "...Do you… want me for something?" Severa spoke in the direction of the wolf.

Its eyes perked up as it noticed Severa's gaze and its tail began to wag. "One second." Severa gave a parting glance to Grima as she stood up and walked over to where the wolf was. To her, this was just a series of vines on the wall of a cave with nothing behind them. This was proven false when the wolf simply brushed past the vines and into a hidden hallway. Severa followed the wolf into the small hallway, emerging into a cavernous room that reminded her of that charming grotto restaurant in the Grimaret.

In the center of the room and hanging on the ceiling was another of those light crystals. On the back wall of this cave was a crude drawing of two figures, painted on the surface with what seemed to be berry juices. The gray wolf approached the drawing and sat on his hind legs before whimpering at it. Severa approached the drawing and looked up, soaking in all the details.

On the right was a woman with red hair and wearing white clothing. To her left was a boy with green hair and blue armor. Their backs were pressed to each other. This painting was surprisingly detailed for something scrawled on a wall with berries.

Severa began to wonder who painted this, only to look behind her and see some of the animals from before, now watching her from the entrance of this cave. "Did… Did you paint this?"

She quickly turned around to see the grey wolf press his paw to the drawing of the boy with green hair. The paint must've been here for a long time because it was not smudged by the wolf's paw. By the time she looked back at the other animals, the monkeys had stepped forth and began to drag their fingers along the floor. Severa followed their movements and realized they were writing a message.

A minute passed before the monkeys stepped away from their message and Severa walked over to read it.

"Bring them home." The message said in scrawled handwriting. Her mind was already racing from the fact that these animals could apparently write, and that they were conscious enough to know their predicament.

"Those two?" Severa asked as she pointed to the drawing of the boy and the girl. " _There's no way these animals can understand what I-_ "

The animals nodded their heads in response. Severa found herself in disbelief. "...How many fingers am I holding up?" She asked, holding up five fingers on her hand. It took six seconds for the green monkey to scrawl out the number five on the ground.

With their intelligence proven, Severa simply sat there in stunned silence. "Is it true you're… the old heroes of Valm?"

All the animals: the geese, the monkeys, the fox, the birds, the peacock, the lions, the panther, the python, and the wolf all nodded in unison. Severa was taken aback, mouth wide open as she stared at these… _things_. Her gaze turned back to the painting of the boy and girl. "Okay. I'll see what I can do." While she was stranded on this continent, she might as well help the locals out.

Severa walked out of the smaller cave and back to the larger one, only to find that Grima was gone. The green bull looked from the spot Grima sat in, then to Severa with a sheepish grin. She would've thought it was comical if it wasn't a person's mind trapped inside an animal.

Footsteps were left in the ground that led out of the cave. Severa followed them to the wall of bushes, crawled through the hole, and emerged on the other side. Back in the forest, she looked to her right and saw a large red dome made of something that certainly wasn't trees or rocks. It was now visible since the mist had mostly departed. She could barely make out Grima walking into the dome and hurriedly ran after him, down a hill and past even more trees.

She finally got to the base of this large, crimson dome that reflected the rays of light off of it. She could even see her face in the walls of this dome, which seemed to be made of crystals. She saw the same bodysuit she had gotten from that building above and didn't like what she was seeing.

***Severa stepped inside the dome, taken aback by the entire interior being made of the same red crystals. These crystals looked like the Regression Glass Grima had talked about. In fact, she was pretty sure this was the Regression Glass, but it wasn't pulling her into a trance as she stood in an entire room full of it.

With no answers to her question and a passageway before her, Severa shrugged her shoulders and continued on, walking through a hallway made of this same glass. Like a hall of mirrors at a carnival, she saw her reflection twisted and contorted in the walls of his hallway, stretching and shrinking with every step she took. But after walking for a bit, she no longer saw her own reflection. She saw a large, jet-black dragon with six eyes and wings floating ahead in profile view.

Even with a view of only half its head, she could tell it looked unhappy. From the way its eyes nervously darted around, to how its overall posture seemed like one a depressed animal would have. But to her shock, a pair of hands erupted out of the jaw of the dragon and pried it's skin away, revealing a naked body that climbed its way out of the black dragon and stood in contrast against the red background.

Although the face of this naked man was mostly featureless, it had a smile. A great, big smile that it continued to wear on its face as it danced with a woman who had blue skin. They clasped each other's hands and danced in a waltz; Severa couldn't tell if she was standing or sitting as she watched these two. Both of their faces beamed with delight. Severa noticed that the blue woman had hair that was both light red and violet and worn with a bun on the top of her head.

But, a harsh sound was heard, and a crack formed in the crystal background. The featureless body was ripped away from its blue dance partner and dragged back through the air. It stopped and was held in midair, kicking and flailing as the black dragon body formed around it. And so, the body was back where it started: depressed, alone, and trapped in a restrictive dragon form.

Severa watched as the dragon lowered itself and curled up in a sleeping position. She swore she saw a tear streak down its cheek. Above it was the sun, making its journey across the crystal sky and replaced by the moon as it crossed the horizon. This journey sped up every time it was completed, and Severa could barely track the sun with how fast it was moving.

Eventually, the sun and the moon slowed down before fading away. The dragon perked its head up from its slumber and noticed two figures. One had white hair and wore a black cloak. The other had long, red hair. They were locked in an embrace. The dragon continued to stare at them with a longing gaze. Severa watched as the dragon got up from its slumber, floating just behind the white-haired man, and then began to shift his black hide into a more translucent color. The dragon slowly moved into the white-haired man's body; his posture shifted and the color of his eyes went from blue to red.

But the smile remained on his face all the same. And so did his arms around his wife. The profile view shifted to one from behind his back, from which Severa could see her mother smiling as she hugged Grima.

The crystalline background shifted again, revealing a large skeleton of a dragon with Regression Glass growing out of it. Severa noted how similar it looked to the hedge statue above these caves. Grima's position was the same, only he was leaning against the skeleton. Severa found that she was now in a large room, having found her way while she was in a trance, apparently. Still taken aback by what she had seen, she slowly approached Grima.

She could hear his sobs as he leaned his head against the horned skull of this dragon. No words were said, no dramatic speeches with Severa in earshot. Just the quiet wailings of a dragon who hated himself, loved his wife, and missed his friend.

But, as Severa stood behind Grima, with Leraie's words of forgiveness echoing in her mind, she was stuck. Her arms locked up along with her posture. Grima's sobbing had stopped; he knew she was here.

He was expecting her to forgive him, to understand his tormented past and why he did what he did. Why he killed so many people and kidnapped both her father's body and her mother's mind. But she couldn't. Here stood a man who Severa had spent ten years of her life hating, and who she had seen justify his killings and kidnappings.

Unlike Validar, who would undo his actions if given the chance, Grima would do the same actions again. Only now Severa knew why he took those actions.

After heavy deliberation, Severa reached her arms around Grima and hugged him. But no words were said. No apologies, no 'I forgive you'. Just a girl who felt sorry for a man that she hated with every bone in her body.

Severa drew away, leaving Grima in the crystal cavern with the remains of his friend and his own thoughts.

* * *

Eventually, Severa found her way from the underground forest to the more volcano-like caves, and then to the underground lab from before.

Above ground, the doors to the white building whirred open and revealed Severa, wearing her old outfit from before. Now repaired thanks to the machines inside and good as new. With one last gaze over this beautiful graveyard, Severa focused on the pipelines leading from the back of the volcano into the distance.

" _Maybe that's where the green boy and the orange girl are_ …" Severa thought as she began to walk in the direction of the pipes, unable to think of anything aside from what she had seen today.


End file.
